Etro's Blessing: Andromeda
by Pockymun
Summary: Etro has returned after a banishment that lasted over 2000 years to find Eos has changed greatly and everyone has forgotten her. At the fall of Tenebrae, she grants young Andromeda her blessing to return to life, with some strings attached. The blessing seems more like a curse for its horrifying power and how much unwanted attention it brings. Part 1 of The Paradox in the Prophecy.
1. Part 1:1

With spring well-underway, there were plenty of spring onions to pick, if one knew where to look. Andromeda's grandmother knew the forests longer than most; she knew every spot they grew. Yet she had become slow with age, and there was so much to pick for everyone, so she enlisted the help of Andromeda and her friend, Kiera.

They didn't pick very much from the patch, leaving some for next time, whether it would be this year or the next. They returned home to the cottage. The girls sat on the floor to wash the onions in a tub, and the grandmother sorted out what would be used now and what would be dried. She might have had some difficulties moving around, but her eyes were still sharp and vividly green.

Andromeda loved moments like these, because there was always more to it. Sometimes her grandmother told stories, as grandmothers were expected to pass them on. She was gifted at it in particular. And though Andromeda and her parents loved each other very much, she also loved the sereneness of her grandmother's company.

She didn't look away from her work when she spoke in the old tongue to the girls, "How are your school lessons?"

Both girls made a face. They did not want to be reminded of school on a day in which they had no lessons. Yet it seemed to be all their elders wanted to talk to them about.

"They're okay." Kiera shrugged.

Andromeda took more time to answer, trying to put her response in the old tongue. Her parents had taught her the common language of the world first, and the teacher did not know the old tongue at all, so insisted that his students could only speak in the common language. Only the elderly of the village spoke it well now.

"They're pointless." Andromeda finally said. "He always talks about the rest of the world. I don't care about that."

"Well you should." Her grandmother responded in the same language. Her tone implied that there would be no arguing over it. "There is much beyond our tiny village and its problems. But you are at the age where you should start taking part in our traditions. You won't learn them from that Nif spy."

"He said he's from Ulwaat." Kiera piped up. Andromeda's grandmother only snorted at that.

Andromeda had perked up as her grandmother seemed to be about to teach some traditional lesson or tell a story. Since her birthday last fall, she had been old enough to do her first hunt. However, her parents were often not around; when they were and they did take Andromeda along on a hunt, they insisted on killing the quarry while she watched. Next time, they always said. She frowned again at the thought.

Something loudly boomed out in the village, startling all three of them. The sat still, listening for other sounds. The sun was shining outside of the windows.

Then the door flew open. Kiera gave a shriek. A sharp figure stood in the doorway with windswept black hair and wild eyes. Andromeda's mother stormed across the floor. The noise of the village outside followed behind her: people shouting and fleeing, flames suddenly roaring, and clanking, marching footsteps.

"We have to go." She rushed to her own mother's side to help her out of the rocking chair. The girls stood from what they were doing. Kiera didn't wait for the adults; she ran out the door, presumably to find her own family.

"Where's dad?" Andromeda stood from where she had sat on the floor. She glanced outside of the door, seeing neighbors flee this way and that.

"He's still on the front line. Now go." Her mother urged as her grandmother stood.

The cottage shook and the ceiling fell in. Andromeda was knocked back down by one of the large wooden beams. It laid across her rib cage, pinning her to the floor. Plenty of boards pressed against her head, blocking her sight.

She thought she heard her name called, but it was muffled through all of the debris on top of her. She tried to move her arms to push some of it away. She could only reach the beam, and that was too heavy. It was difficult to breathe. It was suddenly unbearably hot. Tears sprung up as she yelled for help. The flames became louder. So did the screams.

Andromeda continued to scream until the heat made her tears and throat burn. By now, she couldn't hear anything over the approaching flames. Yet she noticed that her mother and grandmother had stopped calling for her.

Searing pain suddenly erupted over the beam pinning her body down. It began spreading towards the rest of her body, her lower half and chest immediately burning as well. She gagged on the smell of her own burning flesh.

Then it was all suddenly gone. Andromeda found herself standing again. Her surroundings were too dark to see; it seemed like there were no surroundings at all. The village and the forest was gone.

Her grandmother and mother stood some distance away, silently looking at each other. They looked different: there seemed to be a glow softly emanating from them. The older woman gave a slow, acceding nod. Both women turned to face Andromeda as she ran to them.

They embraced the girl. Whatever this place was, she was just happy to have found them again. No one was hurt, either. It was as if the fire had been a bad dream. Perhaps they were all just dreaming.

Yet they suddenly pushed her away, the distance becoming far greater than it should have been. The women smiled sadly at her.

"Mom!" Andromeda yelled, but no matter how much she ran, she couldn't get any closer to them again. The tears began anew.

"You can't come with us. You have to go back." Her mother instructed, shedding only a single tear.

At her words, another woman appeared, shining so brightly that much of her features could not be discerned. She stood taller than any of them. Andromeda's grandmother and mother approached her.

"Please, you can have both of us, but let the young one return to life." Her grandmother appealed to the shining woman. She bowed her head solemnly.

"There has been much bloodshed, and many are begging to return rather than come with me. Her body is very damaged." The woman acknowledged. "I cannot spare everyone."

All four of them remained silent for a long moment. Andromeda watched from afar. She had given up on getting closer. She could only watch now.

"I will send her back with my blessing," The shining woman raised her head with a smile. "Because her family has not forgotten me."

She held out her hands at that. Andromeda's grandmother grasped one hand, and her mother took the other. They seemed to glow as well, then disappeared completely. A small glowing orb left each of the shining woman's hands. They floated up into the sky until they could no longer be seen.

Andromeda's tears came even harder now. They blinded her so that she did not realize when the shining woman was suddenly standing before her. She was startled when she was embraced.

"You took them from me." She lamented as the shining woman lifted her up into her arms.

"As is my duty to take the dying to the afterlife. It is not enjoyable, but it must be done. Know that it was their love that prevented me from taking you as well." The shining woman explained, brushing Andromeda's hair. "But now you must go back. A deal has been made for your life. Honor them by living. Until we meet again, Andromeda."

She pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead, and everything was gone.

* * *

The pain was no longer searing, but throbbing. The smell was gone, replaced with something clean. Andromeda awoke to a strange, sloped ceiling overhead. She was in a bed other than her own—she found herself laying on a cot.

A young woman sat in a chair next to her bed. It took a moment for Andromeda to recognize her own aunt. Her aunt watched her with anticipation, her eyes watery. The girl went to move her arm, only to feel a slight tug resisting her. A needle on a tube connecting her hand underneath the bandages to a clear package hanging over her head. There were a few strange machines near the bed. Her arms and torso were completely wrapped up with white bandages.

Andromeda didn't see any more, her own vision becoming blurry. Her aunt leaned over the bed to wrap her arms around her. Without words, they both burst into tears and hugged each other, even if it hurt Andromeda to move.

"I'm sorry." Her aunt gasped into her shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry I wasn't there. Thank the gods you're alive."

The tears burned Andromeda's eyes. She tried to say something, but she couldn't utter a sound and the effort hurt her throat. So she just clung onto Llinos, thankful for a familiar face in a terrifying environment.

"Careful now."

A man in a white coat stood on the other side of the bed. Andromeda watched him warily and refused to let go of Llinos, even when her aunt eased her grip.

"Good morning." He greeted Andromeda with an eerily perfect smile. "Do you feel any pain?"

At the question, Andromeda realized that she didn't feel as badly as she should have. The bandages were tight, pulling uncomfortably in spots as she continued to cling to Llinos. Other than that, the searing pain from the flames was just a memory.

She only shook her head. His smile remained.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Andromeda nodded, but couldn't tell him what it had been. The cottage had collapsed on her, her mother and grandmother, then caught on fire. Where the fire had come from, she didn't know. There had also been the clanking sound of metal...

She wanted to ask where her mother and grandmother were, looking between the doctor and her aunt as if they would understand somehow.

"It's a miracle you're alive." Llinos said, then hugged Andromeda again.

"No one should have survived it. No one else did." The doctor added. "You're very lucky."

It answered Andromeda's question. The burning in her eyes began anew at the thought of never seeing her mother or her grandmother again. It only caused Llinos to start sobbing again as well. The doctor quietly excused himself.

* * *

A few days had passed while Andromeda was unconscious. The doctor returned later and explained that her torso had been badly burned, and her arms had been burned to a lesser degree. Several ribs had been broken. Her chest, just beginning to form thanks to puberty, had also been seared. The surgeons had performed skin grafts over the area, removing the small breasts. There was no way of knowing how her chest would develop later, if it did at all. While her other organs were surprisingly unharmed from the fire, her uterus had had to be removed. Whether she developed through puberty or not, she would never be able to have children.

Andromeda's hair, grown out to be just like her mother's beautiful long black locks, had been singed in the fire as well. It was now cropped to her ears, and looked very stupid. It was possibly the biggest blow to her pride.

Andromeda, and a few other patients in the medical tent, could only receive the care that the field medics could provide. Niflheim now controlled Tenebrae, and they had decreed that no one was to leave. A couple of patients later died from their injuries. She was only awake for one instance when a patient was on the brink; Llinos explained that there had been others, too.

Despite the losses, the fact that Andromeda had survived and woken was contributed to the success of Imperial medicine. All sorts of medical people stopped by Andromeda's small enclosed section of the tent to congratulate her when she was awake. She was still tired and on a lot of medicine, so they all seemed to be the same. One doctor tried to explain that he was writing a report about her that would get sent straight to Gralea, but the importance of it was lost on her. The doctors did much more celebration amongst themselves.

Survivors could not return to their homes, as they were all burned down. The invading army gave them provisions to set up a large encampment in a glade while the rebuilding would be done. After a couple of days in the medical tent for observation, Andromeda was allowed to go with Llinos to the encampment. They were fortunate enough to have a tent to themselves.

There was some excitement among the survivors as Andromeda was allowed to join them. At sight of her, they would all say how proud her parents would be. Yet with so many dead, there was no cause for celebration. A mass grave had been made for the dead. Andromeda's grandmother and both of her parents laid among the many bodies, but she had missed the burial. Her father, one of the many in the village who resisted Niflheim, had been killed on the front line shortly before the invasion. His body was returned to the village to be buried.

* * *

After visiting the mass grave, Andromeda rarely left the tent she shared with Llinos. Most of her excursions were to the medical tent, where her bandages were changed and she was given more medicine. The skin on her arms, chest and torso was twisted and shriveled, discolored with shades of yellow and red. The doctors assured that at least the discoloration and the smell would disappear with time, but the skin would forever have that twisted, waxy appearance. The fire had burned deep into her skin.

Llinos was the only other person to see below Andromeda's bandages. She had tried to keep from reacting, but Andromeda had seen how she had used a hand to cover the shock on her face. At least the mystery had been solved for her—Andromeda was aware of how the other survivors stared at the bandages. They stopped by the tent often to visit, and sometimes bring food.

Kiera did not bring food when she came by to sit with Andromeda. It was quiet between them as Andromeda still hadn't recovered her voice. Honestly, there was nothing she had to say. Neither did Keira. They had both lost their parents in the attack. Kiera, however, had managed to avoid the fires.

"Does it hurt?" The other girl finally asked after they had been sitting for several minutes of silence. She couldn't hide her staring at all.

Andromeda gave a slight nod. The doctors didn't give her nearly as much medicine as she had gotten while staying in their tent. She ached all over, and thus always felt tired. If Kiera wasn't right there, she would have taken a nap.

She said nothing to that and they resumed sitting in silence. Eventually her grandmother, the only other survivor of her family, came to collect her. She patted Andromeda's head as she did.

"Your parents would have been proud of you." She reminded her. "Get some rest."

As the two walked towards the new frames of cottages, Andromeda felt tears on her cheeks. What good was her parents' pride when they were dead?

* * *

The troops planned to remain for a long time to oversee the village as it rebuilt. Metal soldiers kept a constant watch, patrolling the encampment and guarding the village borders. Everyone in the village realized with horror that they were not men at all, but some kind of automatons easily capable of killing them.

There were some humans among these metal soldiers, serving as their superiors. The human soldiers gave orders to the villagers as well. They question a lot of people, eventually coming for Llinos. She and Andromeda stood mortified as they had watched the human captain and two metal soldiers approach their tent. He only had to order her to come, and Llinos followed him to the large general's tent. Andromeda almost followed, but the captain turned with a sharp look. She halted, frozen in place.

A villager soon spotted her and coaxed her back to her tent. She sat and waited as the day passed. A few people stopped by to give her company, as was becoming normal. Andromeda could rasp simple answers, providing little conversation.

At dusk, Llinos returned in tears. Andromeda didn't ask questions, guessing that she had been asked too many.

They sat alone silently, even as someone nicely brought dinner to them. It was only when darkness fell and Andromeda decided to go to bed that Llinos suddenly clung to her.

"It's just the two of us now." She mumbled.

Andromeda was already dozing off, too tired to ask what she meant by that. She drifted off without much thought about it.

* * *

Most people set about cleaning up and rebuilding. Some outside help was allowed in. After her interrogation, though, Llinos was reluctant to help her neighbors. Andromeda, her hands still burned, was still too weak to do much of anything. She and Llinos simply sat at their tent. Occasionally, when Llinos was nagged enough by other villagers to help out, someone would still come sit with Andromeda. After awhile the silence, the bandages, and the burned hands was starting to unsettle the villagers.

One night, Llinos roused Andromeda from her sleep and guided her through the camp.

They crept by the guards stationed at various spots, then crawled into the back of a wagon. Llinos threw a heavy tarp over both of them, along with various objects nearby. Its weight reminded Andromeda of the beam that had pinned her underneath the house.

"Stay still. Don't say a word." Llinos instructed her once she laid beside her, even if there was no need to say it. Andromeda could speak a little now, but it was painful. It got a little better each day, but there wasn't much she wanted to say.

The girl took a deep breath of the musty air. Soon after, the wagon jerked into movement. Then it stopped just as suddenly. She held her breath as there were voices outside. Their conversation was short, and the wagon continued to move along the bumpy road.

Much like having been pinned underneath the house beam, the wagon ride seemed to last forever. It bounced too much for aunt and niece to get any sleep. Both were too alert to their situation anyway; sleep was impossible. Neither could breathe very well under all of the weight, as well as the smothering tarp.

It dawned on Andromeda only too late that they were leaving the village, and there would be no returning. She wanted to ask Llinos so many questions, and demand to go back to where their family was buried. Yet she feared being caught by one of the metal soldiers, certain that one was ever close by. They frightened her more than the daemons that lurked in the night, making travel unsafe.

Just as the trip seemed to go on forever, it abruptly stopped. All was quiet for a long moment. Then someone outside announced something. Andromeda didn't understand it. However, Llinos pushed the tarp away. She sat up and responded.

"There are no sylleblossoms where we're going."

With a sweeping shove, she pushed aside all that was laying on top of them. Andromeda also sat up, taking a gulp of much cleaner air. A man stood at the wagon's door, holding it open for both of them to climb out.

Yet no sooner had they stood on their feet were they shoved into a train car, barely able to glimpse the dawnlit sky, much less where they were. Andromeda stumbled as she stepped inside. Llinos caught her and pulled her in as the door was quickly shut behind them, leaving them in the dark again.

"Up there." She ordered, looking up at the overhead storage rack. There was enough space for Andromeda to squeeze into. Getting a leg-up from Llinos, she obediently did as told.

"Where are we going?" She finally asked, her voice cracking from being silent for so long.

"I'll explain when we get there." Her aunt stated, digging through some stuff on the floor.

Andromeda tucked herself between two suitcases. She rasped, "I'm hungry."

"I know. We'll get food at the next stop, hopefully."

"I'm scared. I want to go home."

"Shh!" Llinos hissed as the door at the front of the car opened. She squeezed herself between the wall and a crate.

A faint red orb glided through the car, accompanied by clanking metal steps. Andromeda held her breath and shut her eyes until it passed into the next car. She decided not to speak again until they were off of the train.

* * *

As soon as the train stopped and they were let out of the car, they were shoved into a crate, which was then put on other vehicles and moved.. They were let out shortly afterwards and marched down a cliffside to a beach. A boat was waiting for them. It took them to an even larger boat, where they were crammed into a storage container, locked in darkness. That ride was the longest, taking a few days. Sometimes food was dropped off for them and they were let out for bathroom breaks, but other than that, they were left in the darkness. Even so, the journey left Andromeda exhausted; she slept much of the time.

Eventually, they were taken off of the boat and onto land. For two days, they were marched through a forest similar to home, but it wasn't home. They stayed at havens, large flat stone structures etched with ancient glowing symbols, during the night, their guide unwilling to encounter daemons. They did not speak; he only ordered them around.

On the third day, they came to a road with a truck waiting. Once more, Llinos and Andromeda were shoved into the bed and covered up. This time, Andromeda was able to sleep through the ride.

That ride was thankfully very short, but night had just begun. The truck stopped in a narrow cobblestone back alley. The driver led them into a building, then pointed them to an office. They entered after knocking.

A small old man sat behind a big desk. It was difficult to see him; the room was made dark by heavy curtains blocking the windows, and the lights were kept dim. He gestured for both of them to take a seat. Andromeda followed her aunt's lead in doing so, even if her body felt restless.

"I trust you can pay for the paperwork." The man spoke with a shaky voice after observing the two for a moment. Andromeda found herself staring at a water pitcher and two glasses on his desk, but didn't dare move.

Llinos dug through her small bag, pulling out two stacks of bills and setting them on the desk. "Here, sir. It's the exact amount I was told it would be for two of us."

He pursed his lips as he took the stacks and quickly counted them. He then noticed where Andromeda's attention was. "You may have some."

Before she could help herself, Llinos rose from her chair and grabbed the pitcher. She poured a glass for her and herself. Andromeda took the glass carefully when it was handed to her. The water was gone within five seconds. Never before had water tasted so good. Llinos did not give her any more, taking her seat again.

The man turned his attention to a large box on his desk that Andromeda assumed to be his computer. The light from it shone eerily on his face. "Where are you going?"

"Insomnia, sir." She replied. Andromeda had heard of it—it was the capital of Lucis. She realized that they were probably sitting in Lucis right now.

"And your names?"

"Linda and Andrea Hulda."

"No they're not-" Andromeda began, but Llinos gave her a sharp look. She hadn't acted like her old self since the invasion in Tenebrae; she used to be more patient and playful. Andromeda was scared of this new side of Llinos.

The man ignored the interruption. "Mother and daughter?"

"Aunt and niece." Llinos clarified.

"Ages?"

"Twenty and twelve."

"Dates of birth?"

"July 16th and August 26th."

The exchange between them went on for awhile. Andromeda eventually poured herself another glass of water, although Llinos chided her briefly to not drink too much. Other than that, the adults ignored that she was there. She had to wonder what the point was to lie about their names, and why they were going to Insomnia.

The old man took them both to a much brighter room to take both of their pictures. They were shooed away afterwards, after he told them to return in the morning for their papers. Llinos took Andromeda out into the cobblestone streets again.

It had to be late at night, but the streets were well-lit and many people were still walking about, the threat of daemons kept at bay with all of the lights. There was so much to take in; neither one of them had been in such a crowded place before. Llinos took Andromeda's hand to keep them together. Seeing as it was quieter on the other side of the wide, paved road, they crossed it and went down the flight of stairs to an overlook.

"Why are we going to Insomnia?" Andromeda finally felt safe enough to start talking as they crossed a large paved area where cars were parked. The land was already proving to be a strange place.

"It's the safest place in the world. Niflheim has never been able to get past the king's wall. We'll never have to worry about them again." Llinos explained earnestly, giving her hand a squeeze.

"But we should be home. That's where Mom and Dad and Grandmother are buried." The younger girl insisted as they stopped by a giant floral display. There was only one tired-looking food vendor there, making the area very quiet.

"Do you think they would want us to stay under Imperial rule, when we have a chance to escape?" Llinos asked. "They're gone. It doesn't matter where their bodies lay. I'm using the last of our savings to get us to safety."

Andromeda thought it over. She had had the hunch that they would never return to Tenebrae. She hated how Llinos had made the decision for her, and dragged her along like some little kid. She hadn't even told Andromeda about the money. She should have had a say in how it was spent.

She was so caught up in her frustration that she hadn't noticed Llinos step away. Suddenly her aunt stood before her, holding out a stick that had meat chunks on it. Andromeda didn't think twice about where it had come from before taking it and biting into a thick chunk of meat.

"Look," Llinos pointed out into the distance. Much of the surrounding land was too dark to discern what was out there. Yet far off, there was a large crater. Large spires stood in the center of it, their bases glowing faintly as blue wisps embraced them.

"What is it?" Andromeda asked after a few bites of her food.

Llinos peered at some plaque in front of them. "The Disc of Cauthess. It's too dark to read the rest of it. It must be one of the natural wonders of Lucis. I'm sure we'll see a few of them on our way to Insomnia."

Though Andromeda didn't like the idea of moving to a city any more than before, she did look forward to seeing some more of the strange things in this land. It also made her long for home.

"Once we have those papers, those will be the names we go by for everything. We're lucky that we already look like Lucians. No one can find out that we're not. If they do, they'll send us back." Llinos explained.

"Why would they do that? Aren't they fighting against Niflheim?" Andromeda thought that they would be welcomed as Tenebraens.

"That's just how it works." Her aunt sighed. "I wish it was more simple than it is."

"I like my name." Andromeda grumbled. 'Andrea' sounded too stuffy and boring to her.

"Well I don't." Llinos crossed her arms. "I got stuck with an old name that no one can pronounce or spell. 'Linda' is short and easy."

The younger girl looked down at her empty stick, her first taste of Lucian food. The spiciness burned in her throat. "I can do both."

"For most of your life, you called me 'She-no' and wrote it like that, too." She pointed out with a chuckle. It had been such a long time since Andromeda had heard anyone laugh.

She didn't laugh, her mind spinning with all of these changes. "Llinos, I saw Etro."

"What?"

"Before I woke up, I saw Mom and Grandmother cross over. I almost did too, but they stopped me, and Etro sent me back. I actually saw her."

It all tumbled out of Andromeda. She didn't like being in this new land, but she suddenly felt free to speak to her aunt again. They hadn't had such a moment since before Niflheim invaded. All of her grandmother's stories made more sense now.

Llinos's reaction surprised her. "Don't talk about things like that. It was probably just a dream."

"But it was real-"

"Let's go find some place to sleep." A dark look came over the young woman's face, much like it had while she had been applying for their new paperwork. Andromeda dropped the subject, once again noticing the new rift between herself and her aunt.

"Can we get more food?"

"In the morning."

* * *

It took some time in the night to find a hostel with a spare bed for the two of them to share. Yet even though they were sleeping close together, Andromeda's dreams of fire and metal soldiers made her restless. If Llinos and her hunger hadn't woken her in the morning, she might have continued sleeping until noon.

Their papers were ready as promised, and their bus was leaving in twenty minutes. It didn't give them much time to find food, stopping at a corner store for sandwiches and drinks. Once they finished, they rushed to board the bus. It left as soon as they were seated.

The bus ride was much more comfortable than the trains and wagons had been, as Andromeda and Llinos didn't have to hide from metal soldiers. Instead, they sat comfortably among everyone else, as if they were supposed to be there.

Her aunt had put her own papers away immediately, but she took some time to read hers. Her new birth certificate said she was born in Old Lestallum, which was not the same Lestallum they had left. On all of the papers, her name was listed as Andrea. She stared at the name for awhile to get it to sink in.

The name felt as though it belonged to someone else. The same age and looking exactly like Andromeda, Andrea was a girl born in Old Lestallum, who was now moving with her Aunt Linda to Insomnia for a new life. Both girls had recently lost their parents and grandmother, so they had that in common. By taking on this new identity, Andromeda worried about what would happen to herself—the one that identified as Andromeda. Would that just disappear? Would she forget who she really was and where she came from?

Llinos had said that they were fortunate enough to already look like Lucians. In fact, they stuck out in Tenebrae. Whereas most people had been fair-haired, the women in her family had always had darker hair. Andromeda had grown hers out just as her mother had, before the fire burned some of it. Llinos had always kept hers very short, for as long as she could remember. Her aunt, mother, and grandmother had all had green eyes, but Andromeda had her father's grey eyes. That was all that she seemed to inherit from him.

Her parents' first names weren't changed on her birth certificate. Llinos had a point: there was no need to stay in one land because her parents were buried there. They were far beyond anyone's reach now.

It wasn't long into the bus ride that Andromeda began to feel restless and hungry again. Yet it was late afternoon before the bus came to a stop at a small station. The Disc of Cauthess could still be seen, although it was further away now, and it was mostly blocked by natural stone formations that arched over the landscape.

Most of the passengers had the same idea to go to the diner for food. Neither Llinos nor Andromeda had been to one before, but it wasn't hard to figure out how to order. They ate a small meal in order to save money. She didn't know how much her family had had, but there couldn't be much left now.

With night so close, the buses would not run again until morning. They wandered the outpost, browsed in the convenience store, and watched the Disc become brighter as the sun set. Andromeda read about the nearby petting zoo of chocobos, and begged Llinos to go, but she simply put it off as something they would do another time.

They stayed in a caravan for the night. Llinos found food for them before Andromeda woke. She was barely able to stretch her legs before being pulled onto the earliest bus for the final part of the journey.

There was one more stop before the city, in a desert outpost called Hammerhead. Knowing that they were so close to the end, Llinos and Andromeda didn't dawdle, impatiently waiting for the next bus. They were the first to board.

Compared to the rest of the journey, the last bus ride was short. In three hours, they had left the desert and crossed a long bridge, the city's skyline revealing that they were finally reaching the end. The bus stopped at a gate. A guard boarded to check everyone's papers. Llinos and Andromeda had theirs ready, but the guard barely looked at them before moving on. Once she left and the bus was cleared to move, both breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally made it to Insomnia, the safest place in the world.


	2. Part 1:2

Their first few days in Insomnia passed in a blur. They had spent a long time standing dumbfounded in the bus station, before going out into the city, where Llinos (now adamant to be called Linda) dragged Andromeda along in search of an apartment in the lower ends. They went through several landlords who refused to rent to a young, unemployed guardian fresh off of the bus.

Finally, late in the evening, they found a small, shabby studio in need of tenants. It was really meant for only one person, but the landlord didn't mind, so long as Andromeda was a minor. Though it was cramped and run-down, it was a fresh start.

Llinos spent much of the night cleaning the bedding, then went out searching for a job the next day. Considering that it was too late in the year for Andromeda to be sent to school, she was sent to the library instead. She didn't mind it; she beamed with pride upon receiving her first library card, giving her (presumably) unlimited access to the whole collection. She had never lived close to a library before.

Although none of her family had lived outside of Tenebrae before, Llinos seemed to know just what to do in this new city. Once she picked Andromeda up from the library at the end of the day, they stopped at a thrift shop for some very cheap clothes. The next day, she took Andromeda to a doctor—one that had an office in a brick building. Andromeda's bandages had gotten old and dirty during their traveling, and the scarring underneath surprised the doctor. After examining her, she concluded that Andromeda was healing nicely from her "accident". Though both women understood Andromeda's protests, they concluded that she no longer needed bandages.

Llinos took the first job she was accepted at: graveyard shift in a warehouse. Though it meant that she and Andromeda didn't see each other often, it did mean that they weren't trying to sleep in the only bed they had at the same time. Llinos complained that Andromeda was a restless sleeper now. Andromeda hated to be left alone at night; she had never been before, but now they didn't have a choice.

Food was scarce until Llinos was paid for the first time. Having a full refrigerator made them the happiest they had been since before Niflheim had conquered Tenebrae. Yet Andromeda soon realized that the food in Insomnia tasted different. It had less flavor than what she was used to, and much of the food came in ready-to-cook boxes. Their apartment didn't have a proper kitchen like they had had at home, where their meals were made from scratch.

With Llinos either sleeping or working, Andromeda suddenly had to become self-sufficient in a new world. She walked herself to the library and back, quickly learning that there were rules of where one could walk in the streets. The constant, busy traffic scared her. She had to return to the apartment before nightfall; there may not have been daemons in Insomnia, but there were dangerous adults. Those were even harder to spot.

Towards the end of the school year, the city's schools held exams at certain years. It was the perfect time for Andromeda to take exams as well, to see what school she would fit into next year. The results took a month to come back. Though she would be going to school with children her age, she would be going to remedial school. Andromeda's current scores were below average, even if she had done well with the teacher in her village back home. The city had high expectations. With lots of study, she would do better on the high school entrance exams, which mattered much more than middle school.

For the rest of the summer, Andromeda fled to the air-conditioned library when the apartment became too stuffy. Once school began in September, she would have to adapt to her new identity as Andrea. But for now, in the solitude of the library's books, she could exist for a little while longer as Andromeda.

Llinos had already taken to calling her Andrea, just as she always corrected her niece to refer to her as Linda. She also did not allow for any words from the old Tenebraen language to be spoken—it would be too suspicious if people heard them talking like that. For as much as they had lost, and all the hard work she had to do to keep them afloat, Llinos seemed happier than Andromeda had seen her before. She realized that her aunt had never wanted to be Llinos. The more she thought about it, the more she remembered how reluctant Llinos was to partake in the traditions of their home. Niflheim's invasion gave her the perfect reason to flee to Insomnia and become a new person.

Andromeda didn't want to change into a new person. She made a point to avoid interacting with new people so she didn't have to suddenly become Andrea. The librarians encouraged her to join their summer reading program, or take part in their events, but she kept herself busy enough by reading about Insomnia.

At its core, Lucis wasn't too different from Tenebrae. Although thanks to the Oracle, Tenebraens had a stronger belief in the Astrals than Lucians did. It was also far less green in Lucis, especially so in Insomnia. Their folktales were similar in that they both focused on their royal lines, but Andromeda felt Lucian stories were stiff and boring. She found herself looking for books on Tenebraen tales, but thanks to recent events, there were long waiting lists for books about the Oracle's homeland.

Eventually the summer passed, and Andromeda found herself sitting in a classroom with eleven other students. Whereas a teacher had been sent to her village to teach the children, Lucian children's education was institutionalized: they had school buildings.

The other students kept their distance from Andromeda, but they often glanced at the scars on her hands. They gave her strange looks whenever she spoke, although her voice had recovered over the summer. When Linda had purchased her school uniforms, Andromeda insisted on long sleeves to cover her arms. It made the selection slim, and sometimes uncomfortably warm.

She struggled to adapt to the new way of learning at first, often staying after school for help. She also spent weekends studying at the library. After a couple of months, she caught up to her classmates, and even surpassed some of them.

* * *

Andromeda waited until she and Linda were eating dinner together to show off her improved grades. She slyly slid the paper across the small, unsteady table to her aunt. She eyed it skeptically, taking the paper and unfolding it. Linda's shoulders relaxed as she read the report card.

"You brat! You made me think you were in trouble." She scolded with a smile. Andromeda grinned. "That's great news. Hopefully they'll let you retake that exam."

"Can't I just be moved to a better school?" She asked. She didn't dread the exam, but it would be easier if she was just allowed to go to the better school. The teachers were already talking about preparations for the high school entrance exam. Maybe she could make friends at a different school.

Linda shook her head. "That's not how it works here. You've already taken the exam once—the second time should be easier."

She took her empty meal tray and dropped it in the trash. She checked the time on their microwave's clock, then went towards the door. She pulled her coat off of a wall hook and looked back at Andromeda. "I'll talk to your teachers about it soon. Don't stay up too late tonight."

"I won't." Andromeda assured. There wasn't anything to do around the apartment that would keep her awake all night. They didn't own a television or computer like most of her classmates did. Neither one of them had a cellphone.

She stood up from the table and hugged Linda goodbye. As her aunt left, she locked the door behind herself. Doors always had to be locked in Insomnia; they hadn't needed to be so careful in Tenebrae.

Left alone, Andromeda read the latest book she had borrowed from the library. She had gone there after school to do her homework. She had already gone down the hall to the floor's bathroom for a shower while dinner had been cooking. There was nothing left that she had to do, so she read until it became too difficult to stay awake. Then she turned the light off and got underneath the blanket on the bed.

It was peacefully dark for a long time. Then it became unbearably hot. Andromeda struggled to move, stuck in place. Screams suddenly broke the silence. The heavy weight that laid on top of her was pulled away, revealing the cold face of a metal soldier, its eyes glowing red. It reached out for Andromeda with a claw.

She suddenly woke in bed with a shout, sitting up. There was no Magitek soldier standing over her. The apartment was empty.

After over six months in Insomnia, the nightmares had been going away, giving Andromeda more peaceful nights. Linda thought that they should be gone completely. The Empire couldn't touch them here.

Something darted across the floor. Then the light flashed on for a split second. Andromeda tensed again. Though it was dark in the apartment, strange shadows seemed to move along the walls. One of the dining chairs suddenly jerked out of place under the table, its loud noise startling her. A moment later, one of the shadows seemed to charge straight for Andromeda.

She scrambled out of bed and for the door. She tried to unlock it as fast as possible, but she kept fumbling. After too many seconds, she pulled it open and flew down to the neighbor's door. She slammed her fist into the door, intentionally being loud so he would wake up.

It felt like several minutes before the locks were undone and the door was open just a crack. Andromeda and Linda did not speak much with their neighbors except for this one. He was a kind, lonely old man named Linus. They didn't know much else about him besides that. He had offered his help whenever they needed it. Linda had told Andromeda to go to him if she ever needed something and Linda was not there. She had never bothered him before until now.

Linus looked out from behind his door with bleary eyes. He had at least remembered to put his glasses on. It took him a moment to speak as he was still registering who it was knocking on his door.

"What's wrong, Andrea?" He asked.

"There's something going on in my apartment." Andromeda blurted out.

"Rats?"

She shook her head. "Not rats. I don't know. There's shadows and the light flickered-"

Linus closed the door slightly so he could unhook the chain, then opened the door more widely. "Come in. I'll look into it for you. Did you leave it unlocked?"

Andromeda nodded, stepping into his apartment. It was slightly bigger than hers in that it had a separate bedroom. There were much more furnishings as well. Linus had been living in the building for many years.

"Go sit and relax. I'll be right back." He told her, pointing to the couch. She did as told, sitting down carefully.

He closed the door behind himself, leaving her alone. His couch was much more comfortable than her bed; Andromeda felt herself start to relax, sitting back on the cushions. Everything was still in this place. She felt drowsy again.

Linus returned a couple of minutes later. "I didn't see anything."

She didn't move from where she was sitting. She knew there had been something going on in there. It couldn't have been a dream.

"Should I call Linda?" He asked when Andromeda remained silent.

"Yes." She acceded. She didn't want to return to the apartment alone.

Linda had left a phone number for an office phone at the warehouse with Linus. He went to his refrigerator where the note was stuck. He had a somewhat old cellphone, but it got through to the office after a couple of rings. He spoke with a manager, explaining something had happened at home and Linda was needed. Andromeda didn't pay too much attention, beginning to doze off on the couch. Linus noticed that when he hung up the phone. He quietly returned to his own bedroom.

The knock on the door woke Andromeda up. Sunlight came through the small window. A moment later, Linus came out of the bedroom and answered the door.

"Good morning." He greeted pleasantly. Linda stepped in, spotting Andromeda on the couch.

"What happened?" She looked between her and the old man.

"Andrea had a bit of a fright, is all. I looked around, but I didn't see anything. It might just be rats. I can loan you a few traps." Linus offered.

Linda sighed. "I'm very sorry about this."

He raised a hand. "Don't be. It was no trouble. I know moving to the city is a big adjustment for the two of you. Especially for a girl her age. She's going through a lot right now."

"Thank you for looking out for her." She gave a smile, then turned to Andromeda. "C'mon."

"You're welcome. Let me know if you ever need anything." Linus chimed.

Andromeda stood from the couch and followed Linda next door, giving a wave to the old man. He had explained the situation while they were in his apartment, covering for her. Now that Andromeda and Linda were back in their own apartment, she felt she could speak a little more honestly about it.

"It was a nightmare." She admitted as Linda went to their bed and got down on her knees to look underneath it. She stood to listen to Andromeda. "The usual stuff. And when I woke up, there were shadows and the light flashed and the chair moved."

Linda crossed the floor to brush a stray strand of hair out of her face. "It was just a nightmare. You were still asleep the whole time."

They hugged at that. With the sunlight coming through the two windows and Linda right there, it did seem like nothing had happened. Maybe it was possible that Andromeda had been dreaming.

"But it was just a nightmare." Linda pulled away. "You shouldn't have bothered the neighbor like that. Or called me home. I can't just leave work whenever you get scared at night. It could get me in trouble. We can't afford that."

"It had felt real." Andromeda mumbled, remembering how the shadow had charged at her. It had missed.

Linda frowned. "You're too old to be afraid of the dark now. You're definitely too old for a babysitter, and I can't afford one."

The chiding irked Andromeda. She scowled slightly as Linda implied she was being childish. She wouldn't have said such things if she had seen what really happened.

"We've seen some terrible things outside of the city, but they're in the past." Linda continued. "The Empire can't get us here. We're safe."

"I know." Andromeda grumbled. This was not the first time Linda was saying this. They were safe from Niflheim so long as the Lucians didn't realize they weren't supposed to be there.

Linda sighed again and crossed her arms. "Well, I suppose I can allow you to skip school since you stayed up half the night."

Andromeda shook her head. "No, I'll go."

With that, she began to prepare with what little time she had left. She didn't want to keep talking with Linda about this. Her aunt wasn't listening to her. Linda needed to sleep anyway. Andromeda would get by in her classes with what little sleep she had gotten. She dreaded to think that this would cause Linda to change her mind about sending her to a better school in the fall.

Andromeda left for school without much of a goodbye.

* * *

They never spoke about that night again, pretending that it never happened. At first, Linda frequently asked if Andromeda would be okay on her own. She always answered yes, whether or not she truly believed it herself. The nightmare never returned. Perhaps it had just been her imagination.

They returned to normal. It wasn't so bad; Andromeda preferred to be on good terms with her aunt, and to keep her from thinking she might be a freak. They already had little time together between their opposite schedules.

As busy as Linda was with her night job, she had found time to meet someone. She began to have dates on the weekends. After a couple of them, she invited Andromeda along to dinner.

She felt out of place in the fancy restaurant. It was only her second time in a restaurant, but she remembered the diner outside of Insomnia being very different. Luckily, she and Linda had nice enough clothes that were acceptable at this place. Nice clothes or not, many threw glances at Andromeda as she followed the adults to their table.

Linda's boyfriend also added to Andromeda's uneasiness, although she had no idea why. He had greeted her with a smile and a handshake, introducing himself as Chad. He was friendly, but there was something underneath that friendliness that Andromeda didn't like. He gave Linda a kiss on the cheek. He had even held the chair out for Linda; Andromeda had taken a seat before he could do the same for her. She didn't understand the gesture.

"Sorry it's not the fanciest place in Insomnia." He said sheepishly. "Please order anything you'd like. Nothing is off-limits."

"It's perfectly fine. This is already plenty fancy for us two." Linda grinned before looking through her menu. Andromeda observed her before doing the same. There seemed to be yet another new side to Linda.

She was shocked by the prices that accompanied the descriptions of food. But Chad had said it was fine, and perhaps it was. She chose a dish that claimed to originate from Tenebrae, although she had never heard of it. She hoped no one would notice the price.

"So, Andrea," Chad focused on Andromeda after the waiter came to take their order. "How's school?"

"It's fine." She mumbled. His smile was friendly, but she didn't like it. She found it hard to look straight at him in return.

"Andrea goes to remedial school for now. The schools outside of the city are so far behind. I don't think I could pass a school entrance exam." Linda joked.

"Me neither." Chad laughed.

"I've gotten better." Andromeda spoke up, feeling her face become warm as they continued to talk about school. A guidance counselor at the school had managed to have a meeting with Linda to discuss sending Andromeda to a better school in the following year.

"We'll have to look around for other schools. The good ones aren't very close." Linda noted.

"I can help you with that. I know a few people who work as school administrators." Chad offered. "The longer commute is worth it when the quality of education is better."

"What do you do?" Andromeda asked. She hadn't been told much about this man before sitting down to dinner with him.

He grinned. "I work in security at the Citadel."

Glancing at her aunt, she had to wonder how she ever came across someone like him. They lived in the outskirts of the city, after all. Chad must have lived towards the center. And what if he found out that they were residing in the city illegally? With a job like his, he would have to report them. Linda had been more afraid of deportation than Andromeda had been. Why was she being so reckless?

"That's cool." Andromeda mentioned, although she really thought differently.

"It is." Chad agreed. "And y'know, sometimes the better schools take field trips to the Citadel for a tour. Sounds fun, right?"

Their food arrived. Once the waiter left, Linda and Chad mostly talked between themselves, as if Andromeda wasn't there. She didn't mind, only continuing to observe the two and try to make sense of them.

In the end, Chad offered to take them home in his car. As appealing as the offer was, Linda passed on it. She and Andromeda took the subway home. She was obviously ashamed of where they lived.

"So what do you think of Chad?" Linda asked over the noise of the train.

"I don't know." Andromeda looked down at her feet. "How did you two meet?"

"There's a midnight diner the guys at work showed me. He visits it because he always has." Her aunt shrugged.

"He's a little weird. What if he finds out?"

Linda shook her head. "If that happens, I hope it's long after we're married."

"Married?"

"A marriage could keep us both safe in the city, whether our identities are proven false or not. Especially with someone of his status." She explained. "You'll understand when you're older."

Andromeda frowned. She didn't think she would ever understand some of Linda's choices. The Llinos she knew was gone. Linda wasn't the same aunt.

* * *

They didn't discuss the boyfriend further in the next few weeks. As the end of the school year approached, Andromeda was retested. True to his word, Chad showed them some of the better schools, and she was accepted to the best one of them. Their uniforms were expensive, but somehow Linda paid for them.

The final month of the school year also signaled that Andromeda and Linda had been in Insomnia for one year. Andromeda still had nightmares of fire and metal soldiers, but had long since stopped talking to her aunt about them. She seemed untroubled by that day in Tenebrae.

There was trouble for them in Insomnia as well. Andromeda returned to the apartment building after school one day to see many people carrying stuff out—as much as they could carry. As she walked up the stairs, she could hear an argument on the floor she lived on. The landlord was there, shouting. Linda was pleading. The items they had purchased since moving in were scattered about the hall. Andromeda stopped before the scene. The adults stopped yelling at her appearance.

The landlord, a big, gruff, sweaty man, shoved a paper into Linda's chest before approaching Andromeda. She stiffened.

"Give me your key." He demanded. He didn't have to ask twice; she quickly pulled it out of her pocket and handed it over. He stormed off after that. She joined her aunt to get a better look at the eviction notice, carefully stepping over their belongings.

Linda crumpled the paper up before Andromeda could read it and threw it on the floor. She sighed and looked around at their stuff. Andromeda couldn't help but think that at least this time, they were allowed to have more than just the clothes on their backs. She waited for Linda to say something, too afraid to ask questions.

"Pick up all that you can carry. I know a place where we can stay." Linda finally announced, bending down to follow her own orders. Andromeda opened her bag and stuffed in whatever would fit.

Linda took her to the train station, where she used a payphone to call ahead of their arrival. Then she led the way onto a train, which took them to a whole other district.

After the long ride, they walked for several blocks. They received plenty of odd looks from other people on the street, who all wore nicer clothes. Linda didn't seem to notice as she carried armfuls of their belongings. Andromeda followed her, the seams of her backpack stressed from all it held.

At last they stopped in front of one of the apartment buildings. Chad was waiting for them at the front door, quickly taking some of the load from Linda. He held the door open for both of them, then led the way to an elevator and from there, to his apartment.

It was much nicer than the shabby studio Linda had just lost. They walked into a fully-furnished living room with a large TV. The kitchen was just ahead, and from what Andromeda could see of it, it had a stove and larger refrigerator. To her right was a large bedroom. The apartment also had its own bathroom.

Chad put their stuff down on the kitchen table. Linda and Andromeda did the same, finally relieved. He grabbed three mugs from the cabinets.

"Coffee?" He asked.

"Yes. Thank you." Linda smiled. She took a seat on the couch. She must have visited before. Andromeda only continued to follow her.

She could see into another room off of the living room. It looked to be an office, with a computer. Chad was much better off than they were.

He soon joined them, giving them each a mug of coffee before sitting next to Linda with his own.

"I'm sorry for springing this on to you before we even discussed it, but we had no where else to go." She began. "It came out of no where."

"It's okay. You're welcome to stay here. It's a big apartment for one guy. I wouldn't mind the company." He put an arm around her shoulders. "It's actually very illegal for your landlord to evict you without warning like that, even if there is a new building owner."

Andromeda didn't know all that was going on with their old apartment building, but she wasn't sad to leave it behind. She would miss Linus, though. She wondered where he would end up, and if he was able to take anything with him.

It seemed awfully nice for Chad to let them move in with him so suddenly. The thought didn't seem to bother him. Maybe she had been wrong about him after all.

She took a sip of her coffee, and tried not to make a face as she quickly swallowed the bitter hot liquid. She didn't think coffee was a popular drink back in Tenebrae. Not from the part they were from, at least.

If they were going to live in a nicer district, maybe Andromeda could learn to like Insomnia. After spending a year in the city and losing her "accent", it wasn't likely she would ever return to Tenebrae. Considering it was under Imperial control, and they had killed the rest of her family, it was probably for the best to stay in Lucis.

"At least this is much closer to Andrea's new school." Linda pointed out. "I'm happier she won't have such a long commute."

"But you do." Andromeda spoke up. The warehouse was still in their old district.

Her aunt beamed. "That's okay. I've gotten enough muscle on the job to knock down any pervert that tries anything."

"You could always look for work in this district, too. Then you wouldn't have to worry about suspicious men at all." Chad suggested. "I could ask around for you. Maybe even pull a few strings at work."

"You've already done so much for us." Linda sighed, but smiled.

"It's no trouble."


	3. Part 1:3

Over time, their moving in proved to cause some trouble for Chad. He moved his office furniture into his own room and the living room in order to give Andromeda a bedroom of her own. Her bed consisted of a spare futon. It was surprisingly comfortable, especially once blankets were added to it. She had a whole room to herself.

Even back in Tenebrae, Andromeda hadn't had a room of her own; she and Linda had shared a room since she could remember. While it was freeing to finally have a space of her own, she also felt isolated. Though Linda was never around at night in their old apartment, it had felt like she was there in their shared space. For a brief time after moving in, the nightmares of fire and metal soldiers returned. Thankfully, the shadows did not.

Andromeda was excited to be able to watch TV at home, like so many of her classmates did. As the school year ended, she didn't have to spend so much time at the library doing her homework. She still made the trip to check out books. She usually arrived home shortly before Chad did, and before dinner was ready. Watching TV was the best way to kill the time.

She could tell he didn't like her new habit. He entered the apartment ten minutes after she did to find her already engrossed in some documentary about the ocean.

"You watch a lot of TV, don't you? That will add up on the bill later." Chad commented as he took his shoes off by the door. "It won't help you in school. Why don't you help Linda with dinner?"

Without an argument, Andromeda turned the program off and sulked to the kitchen. He was very particular about what she did in the apartment, and she had quickly learned not to argue it. After all, she and Linda had to be grateful for all he had done for them. They had been in the city for over a year, and yet they were still so helpless.

"Could you set the table?" Linda asked before she saw who had entered the kitchen. It didn't really matter who it was. Andromeda did as asked as her aunt finished cooking dinner. They were settling into a routine.

A couple of minutes later, they all sat down at the small table in the kitchen. One thing Andromeda didn't mind about Chad's apartment was that they had real meals—not the microwave meals she and Linda had been living off of before. Linda didn't know much about cooking, but everything was always cooked through.

"How was your days?" Linda asked, sitting between Andromeda and Chad.

"Fine." Andromeda mumbled. No one wanted to hear about her uneventful trip to the library.

"Alright." Chad mentioned. Since they had moved in, she had realized that his job at the Citadel was not as exciting as one would think. He did a lot of desk work. "Oh, but I did catch up with one of my college friends. He helps run a summer program at the university for school students to help them do better in school and prepare for college. He said they are taking last-minute enrollments. It sounds perfect for Andrea."

Linda and Andromeda were speechless for a moment. He had sprung that on them rather quickly. Andromeda frowned at the thought of extra schoolwork.

"That's great." Linda finally said, turning to her plate. "Did you get the paperwork for it?"

"It's on my desk." Chad replied.

"I don't need extra help." Andromeda mentioned. Linda and Chad had already made that decision for her, though.

"The new school is going to have higher expectations than the remedial school. You'll have to work harder to keep your grades up. This program will give you a head start." He reasoned. "You'll be taking your high school entrance exam before you know it, and applying to college after that. You should start preparing for them now."

Linda nodded. "You can't just sit here all summer doing nothing, or wandering the streets. Maybe you'll make some friends at this summer program. Maybe they'll even be attending your new school. I'm sure you'll have some fun."

Andromeda didn't think so, but she had already lost the argument. She almost revealed that she didn't want to go to college, then thought better of it. "Maybe."

Chad was content with her submission. Linda frowned, but said nothing. She always took his side in these things. Andromeda began to realize what it was she didn't like about him.

* * *

There was some tension in the apartment until the summer program started, giving Andromeda a place to be every day. Much of her summer vacation was spent attending summer classes at the nearby university. Chad became less tense in that time, and in turn, Linda was less tense. Andromeda noticed that whatever he thought, her aunt agreed with.

Admittedly, Linda had been right. The lessons were rather fun. Although Andromeda got along with her classmates, she didn't make any particular friendships. If the scars didn't ward the other students away, it earned her their pity. It was the last thing she wanted.

After several weeks, the program came to an end. There were two weeks before the school year started. Andromeda resumed her trips to the library and wandering the streets, as well as watching TV when Chad wasn't home.

A few days before the new school year would begin, Chad took both Andromeda and Linda on a surprise day trip to the Citadel for a small and unofficial tour, a privilege that most did not experience. He managed to get visitor passes for both of them, handing them over at a small entrance.

Andromeda and Linda wore clothes that best fit the description of business casual. It was easy for Linda; Chad had been buying nice, expensive clothes for her. Andromeda still relied on Linda to buy her clothes, and even she could see a difference in their clothing. She preferred her cheaper wardrobe because Linda's clothes always looked uncomfortable.

"I did say that students that go to better schools sometimes get to tour the Citadel." He winked at Andromeda as she put the pass around her neck. "But an individual tour is even better."

"Are you sure this is allowed?" Linda asked. She bit her lip as she looked up at the dark building. Andromeda wondered if she felt the same sort of foreboding about the Citadel as she did. It was massive and dark.

Chad hesitated. "Well, not exactly. Just stay close to me and do what I say. No one should notice us."

It was not comforting that he was breaking rules at his own job, but they followed his lead through the entrance, flashing their badges at the security officer. As they walked through a long, unassuming hallway, Chad pointed out the office area he worked in off to their left. Thankfully, he didn't take them in there, which would have been boring. One of his coworkers could have tattled on him. There were much bigger things to see in the Citadel.

There were many floors and halls to traverse. To Andromeda, they all looked the same. At least Chad always seemed to know where they were.

"This is the tallest building in the city, and no one is permitted to build any higher." He claimed after pointing out the grand entrance hall, with a ceiling a couple of stories high. Andromeda wasn't sure if she believed it; many of the skyscrapers were very tall. Either way, she didn't find the fact that interesting.

"Do you see the king often?" Linda asked. She admired the hall more than Andromeda did. It made her feel small.

"No, but once in awhile I'll see his Shield, Clarus Amnicita and General Leonis. They both lead the Crownsguard." Chad explained. "My department works with the Crownsguard often. They usually speak with my superiors."

"That's so cool." Linda grinned. She and Andromeda didn't know much about them, but it wasn't the first time they heard of the men. They were almost just as prominent in the city as the king was.

Chad ushered them on to other places. The Citadel was the first building, aside from the schools and library, Andromeda had been in that had elevators. They used them a few times as they perused the floors for their many attractions. It was jarring.

There were several parlors scattered about the lower floors, each seeming to share a lot of traits but having their own theme from their decorations. There was also a massive library. It caught Andromeda's attention.

"Can we go in there?" She asked, pointing at the entrance.

"No. It's not open to the public. It's for official use only." Chad explained. "I can't get you clearance to go in there. But the council chamber is close by. Let's go check it out."

They only had to go down another hall before Chad had the two stop around a corner as he looked down a hall. It seemed logical that the library would not be far from where the council met.

"Looks like the council is in session. You can look, but don't make a sound." He informed Linda and Andromeda.

He backed away from the corner to let them peek. Down the hall was a set of ornate double doors, guarded by two men. The doors were shut. Not a sound could be heard.

After a moment, he led them further down the hall they were in, avoiding the guards. With that in mind, Chad took Linda and Andromeda through the confusing, dark hallways until they came near another set of ornate double doors. They were left wide open, and also guarded by two men. Putting a finger to his lips, Chad continued to lead the way past the throne room, open and vacant of people.

Though they could only casually glance at the room as they passed, there was a lot to take in. The room was massive, made moreso by its vaulted ceiling. Gold and marble sculptures decorated the walls. Two sets of stairs led up to the throne, which looked tiny from the doorway. There were wings on either side of the throne. Andromeda kept herself from making a face as she took it all in. It was a very elaborate room.

"There's one more place I want to show you." Chad whispered once they made it to the end of the hall. He pressed a button on a panel on the dark wall.

After another elevator ride that took them even higher, they came to another floor that was nothing but hallways. There was one open-air balcony that Andromeda could see. In the center of the floor seemed to be a room, the halls forming rings around it with various connecting ways between them. The only people on this floor were guards, and thankfully there were few.

"We can't stay long up here." Chad informed in a hushed tone. It seemed as though even he was not allowed up on this floor.

Andromeda watched the large double doors that were on the other end of the hall. They were ornate like the council chamber and the throne room had been, but these doors were darker. She had to wonder what was so important to be placed in a maze-like floor, and closely watched by guards.

_"Blasphemer."_

The deep, ethereal voice boomed from behind the doors. Andromeda glanced over to the adults, but they were eerily still, obviously not hearing the voice. Dread seeped into the pit of her stomach.

_"You shall not usurp the events to come. You hold no claim to the power given to you. It will lead to the death you have wrongly avoided." _

She didn't know what the voice was talking about. All she cared about was getting away. Tearing her eyes away from the doors, Andromeda turned to the elevator.

Linda and Chad were suddenly at the elevator doors, waiting for her. Judging from the annoyed expression on her aunt's face, she assumed they had decided to leave several moments ago.

She wanted so much to ask Linda if she had heard the voice, but she knew better by now. She was the only one to have heard it. Linda wouldn't believe anything her niece tried to tell her. She didn't want to acknowledge any strange occurrences.

Andromeda hid behind the adults during the ride back down to the ground floor, taking the time to calm down. Chad took them on a quick stroll through the Citadel's gardens, but it wasn't enough to lift her from the gloominess she had now settled into. It was a huge relief when they finally left.

* * *

The words haunted Andromeda for awhile, the unsettling dreams of fire and metal soldiers returning once again. It also brought to mind the vision she had had of Etro. She wasn't sure what to think of that anymore. Linda had rejected it completely when Andromeda tried to tell her about her encounter with the goddess. The dark voice in the Citadel renewed her belief that it had been real.

She didn't know what he meant when he referred to power, though. Etro had mentioned a blessing, and she had assumed that her return to life was the goddess's blessing. She also did not know what the voice in the Citadel referred to in the future, but it made her uneasy.

School soon began again, and Andromeda worried about adjusting to the new school more than some strange voice in the foreboding Citadel. The classes were more difficult, and many of them focused on preparation for the high school entrance exams, even if they were over a year away.

Not long into the school year, news came that Niflheim invaded Galahd, a chain of islands roughly north of Insomnia. Chad claimed that military skirmishes occurred all of the time between Lucis and Niflheim, but no one paid attention. Now that they had conquered a neighbor, the whole city noticed.

Almost immediately after came arguments against the incoming refugees. Linda and Andromeda never talked about it, but they exchanged tight-lipped glances whenever Chad began a rant about the security risks of refugees, especially those who had somehow snuck in after being rejected.

* * *

Galahdians weren't too different from Lucians, as far as Andromeda could tell. They did seem more festive when it came to New Year's celebrations, though. Lucians had plenty of decorations and drink on the last day of the year, but Galahdians wore bangles to go along with their unique music and dance. She was much more interested in what they were doing than where she was going.

Chad, and quite a few passing Lucians, scoffed at the display as he led the way to the temples. The streets became more crowded the closer they approached them. Everyone looked to make a wish for the new year at a shrine.

It seemed to take forever to approach something that wasn't far away at all. Linda and Andromeda followed Chad closely, not exactly knowing what to do. It was the first time they saw Lucians do anything religious. New Year's Day was not so important in Tenebrae as it seemed to be in Lucis.

Though she was fine with just observing, Andromeda was forced to participate when Linda shoved some coins into her hand. She watched the adults as they dropped the coins into a box, clapped twice, and bowed their heads to the statue standing in the middle of the altar in front of the depository.

Andromeda mimicked what she saw, taking a glance at the figure when she was supposed to be bowing her head. Larger than the average person, all features where covered by armor that gave the deity the shape of a man with wings. He also wielded a large sword. All in all, he didn't appear to be the kind of deity to pray to for a prosperous new year.

She suddenly recalled the voice she had heard in the Citadel, although by now she had to wonder if she hadn't made it up due to the adrenaline of an unauthorized tour. This armored god—Bahamut-would be just the figure to have such a voice. A feeling deep in her gut told Andromeda that it had to be him that threatened her.

Someone loudly cleared their throat behind her. She was taking too long to pray (albeit it was an empty prayer to a god she didn't want to pray to). She stepped away from the deposit box to let others fulfill their tradition. Andromeda quickly joined Linda again. Getting away from the temples was much faster than it took to get to them.

* * *

Once school started again after the winter holidays, Andromeda's class had a new student. She quietly introduced herself to the class and tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible at her desk, but all eyes seemed to be on her as the odd kid who joined the class halfway through the year. Andromeda no longer held that title, especially as she wore long sleeves to hide her scars during the season. Without having to be told, the class understood her to be a refugee by lunch break. Andromeda realized that she couldn't tell the difference between someone from Insomnia and a Galahdian. They looked the same to her, yet the mutterings of her classmates told her otherwise.

By the time school was dismissed for the day, a couple of boys finally mustered up enough courage (or bigotry) to talk to the new girl as she was packing her bag.

"You're one of those Galahdian refugees, right?" A particularly tall boy asked, although they all knew the answer already.

"What's it to you?" The girl growled, continuing to look into her bag to avoid their eyes. Andromeda knew that trick well.

The aggressive reply only encouraged the boys, who all became excited by it. Another poked at her bag. "Where'd you get that? The flea market?"

Ignoring the question, the girl closed her bag up and put it on her back. The boys wouldn't get out of her way to the door.

"Hey, you never answered the question." The boy prodded her side. "Do you even _belong _in this school?"

"What do you want?!" The girl threw down her bag and raised her fists at him, startling the whole gaggle.

Any second, an after-school group would enter the classroom and see the situation. The school had strict punishments for violent actions. Andromeda cleared her throat. "Hira, right? Do you want to walk home together?"

Everyone was suddenly aware that she was there. Slowly, the girl lowered her fists as she considered the implications in Andromeda's voice.

"I have to pick up my brother." Hira mumbled as she picked up her bag again. The boys had backed off, giving her space to go to the door. Andromeda followed her, although she wasn't sure whether or not she was wanted.

Hira didn't tell her to go away as they left the school together. It seemed that once they left school grounds, she felt it was safe enough to speak.

"Where do those guys get off telling people whether or not they belong?" She fumed.

"They're from wealthy families. Some think that their parents bribed the exam board to let them in." Andromeda admitted. She never interacted much with her classmates before, mostly because her scarred arms made them think she was in some kind of freak accident, but she had heard enough gossip around the school. "I guess bribes don't work on better schools when their scores are really bad."

Hira gave a grunt to that answer. They walked in silence again, her brown bob bouncing slightly as she stomped.

Her brother's elementary school was not close to their high school, but Andromeda didn't mind the walk, even if it meant she would have less time at the library to do homework. She felt she had so much in common with Hira, even if she couldn't share that with her. As a refugee, Hira was in Insomnia legally. Andromeda may have passed as a Lucian, but she didn't feel welcomed.

The school had already let students out once they got there. Hira scanned the crowd of younger students, then marched towards a boy with the same round face as hers.

"What are you doing here? You don't have to walk me home." The boy scowled.

"Too bad. Mom said I have to." Hira crossed her arms. She then turned to Andromeda suddenly. "Which direction do you live in?"

"That way." She pointed in the direction they had come. She lived closer to their high school.

Hira gaped. "Then why did you come all this way? We don't even live in this district."

Andromeda shrugged. "I didn't mind the walk. I usually just go to the library and study."

"Well, we have to go straight home. So, see you tomorrow, I guess?"

"Right." She nodded, getting the hint and turning towards Chad's apartment.

* * *

Andromeda decided to skip the library and do her homework in her bedroom. Upon entering the apartment, she noticed her aunt wasn't preparing to go to work. She finally realized that Linda hadn't been going to work. At first, it was comforting: it was only her and Chad in the apartment at night, and she felt confined to her bedroom. While he was suddenly working later hours, Andromeda felt as though she could spend time in other areas of the apartment.

With her aunt around so much (and the boyfriend was not present), she felt she could try talking to her again. Maybe the lack of stress from work would make Linda more amenable to what Andromeda had to say. Her somewhat pleasant interaction with the new kid at school made her hopeful.

She approached her aunt in the small kitchen, finding her preparing dinner. As tense as it was to live with Chad, at least they had real meals since moving in.

"What's for dinner?" Andromeda looked over Linda's shoulder. She was almost as tall as her already. It made Andromeda realize that Linda wasn't that tall.

"Fried rice and chicken." She stated, continuing to stir the rice in the pan. "Why don't you set the table instead of hover?"

Setting her bag down, Andromeda began pulling plates from the cupboards. "Did you take a vacation from work?"

"No," Linda frowned, pausing for a moment. "Chad had me quit."

"Why?"

"The commute was really too long. It cost too much."

"I thought you liked it." Andromeda stopped setting silverware on the table. "Why did you let him tell you what to do?"

Her aunt shook her head. "It's part of being in a relationship. You'll understand when you're older."

"Dad never told Mom what to do."

"How would you know? You were just a kid. It's not like you saw everything that happened between them. This is just how adult relationships are." Linda's shoulders stiffened as she stirred more forcefully. "You could show a little more understanding. Chad has done so much for us. He got you into a better school, and he cares a lot for your education. College isn't easy to get into. And he even lets us stay here without paying him!"

Andromeda waited a while before speaking again, finishing the table setting in the meantime. She sat in her chair at the table and waited for Linda to appear less tense. Though it had been a long time by now, she felt homesickness well up in her. She wanted to talk with her mom.

She asked her next question carefully and quietly. "Does he know?"

Linda did not tense up again, but she took a moment to answer. "There was a raid at the warehouse. It turns out that all of those Galahdians hired last year were all undocumented. They all ran when the police came in, and I did too. I was so scared that I told Chad everything. He helped me quit the next day."

She turned from her cooking to look at Andromeda. "Do you finally understand why we have to do things this way? Lucians have no problem sending refugees back to the Nifs. You don't even know what they do to people who have snuck out of their land. We are very lucky that we look like locals. Chad has even said our paperwork looks better than most. He's very sympathetic to us."

The girl thought it over as Linda turned back to the frying pan. Hira and the schoolboys crossed her mind. "Is it because we're Tenebraen, and not Galahdian?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

Andromeda contemplated everything for a moment. How could Linda be so stupid? If either of them ever upset Chad (who was prone to moodiness), he could easily throw them out and report them. There was plenty of footage on the news about raids that took undocumented people out of the city, and probably handed them back over to Niflheim, the very people that had killed the rest of their family. There was only one way to save them from such a fate.

"Is he thinking about marrying you?" Andromeda knew that was Linda's goal in dating Chad.

She gave a small smile. "We had a brief conversation about it, so it's on his mind. I don't think we'll have to worry too much longer. We can trust him."

Andromeda frowned. She wasn't too sure about that. "Did you pray for it at the temple?"

"You're not supposed to tell people what you pray for on New Year's Day. It's a secret." Linda chided.

"Do you worship Bahamut now?"

Putting the cooked rice into a bowl, she shrugged casually. "No, but it makes Chad happy if he thinks I do. It's all a bunch of hoopla. But don't tell him that."

On cue, they heard the front door open and close. A minute later, Chad entered the kitchen. While he and Linda greeted each other happily, Andromeda had a newfound wariness of him. She couldn't help but think of what would happen when he stopped being sympathetic.

His arrival ended the conversation between her and Linda. Andromeda ate dinner quietly with them, then sulked off to her room to do homework, although she had too much to think about.


	4. Part 1:4

She had no idea how she came to where she stood in a deep forest, but it didn't take long for her to realize that it was the forest of home, in Tenebrae. It had to be, because it was the only forests she had been in. That alone was enough to make Andromeda confident.

Not far from where she stood, there was a small pavilion. There were no walls, but pillars that supported the roof over the rough stone floor. In the center, a girl sat, her back rigidly upright as her legs were tucked underneath her.

She looked to be the same age as Andromeda. She wore a simple white tunic and pants. Her disheveled blond hair only reached to her shoulders; it was probably lighter when it was washed regularly. The girl looked thin and her pale skin had dirt smudges here and there, as if she had been lost in the forest for a couple of days. Yet for being so lost, she appeared so calm, her eyes closed in thought.

Andromeda crept closer. The girl looked up, her blue eyes curious.

"Are you a messenger?" She asked.

Before Andromeda could respond, a woman in dark clothing suddenly appeared behind the girl, as if she had been there all along. Her eyes remained shut as she smiled gently. She raised a long finger to her lips.

It suddenly felt freezing. So cold that Andromeda suddenly woke up in her bed, the spare futon in Chad's apartment. She pulled another blanket over herself, but soon threw it off again when it became too warm.

It hadn't felt like a dream; everything had looked so real, and the girl's voice was so clear. Andromeda hadn't had dreams of home in a long time. She suddenly longed for it again, and regretted forgetting about it. The witch in the dream frightened her, though. It was a good thing witches weren't really real. Andromeda was getting too old to believe in such things.

* * *

Knowing how Linda felt about these things, Andromeda didn't share her experience with her. She hadn't shared much with her aunt in a long while, even if it seemed that she never left the apartment.

Watching as people were taken away by immigration agents must have been terrifying, but Andromeda couldn't help but be angry with Linda for telling Chad of their illegitimate residency. She didn't have to tell him anything, but she did anyway. It made Andromeda less apt to tell her anything. Chad already knew too much, and used it against them. Linda only left the apartment if she was going to be escorted by him.

Andromeda made it a point to avoid the place as much as she could. She didn't think her aunt was happy, but there was no talking to her anymore. There wasn't anyone that she felt that she could talk to in all of Insomnia, despite how crowded it was.

Not even Hira would understand. For as closed-off as she tried to be with others, Andromeda managed to latch onto her. While the mysterious dreams made her feel lonely, she took comfort in her newfound friend.

Just like when Andromeda had first arrived to Insomnia, Hira struggled to keep up in class. She didn't know how much Andromeda could relate. At least Hira hadn't needed to go to remedial school. Andromeda often helped her during their free period; Hira always had to pick up her brother after school, so couldn't go to the library with her. As the school year was drawing to a close, though, she had caught up to the rest of the class. It was then that she invited Andromeda to her apartment after school.

It was a different district from the one she had lived in when she first moved to Insomnia, but the streets were similar in their cramped, run-down appearance. It didn't seem to bother the people that lived there though. After Niflheim's attack, this neighborhood had quickly filled up with refugees.

Hira's apartment was on the ground floor. It was larger than Chad's, with three bedrooms and an open kitchen-living room area. There was even a sliding glass door to a shared yard space. It must have been a very nice area at one point.

An older woman came through the door as the girls and Hira's little brother, Lal, pulled their shoes off at the front door. She stood still as she observed them, carrying a basket full of clothes.

"Mom, this is Andrea from school." Hira gestured to Andromeda.

"Hello." Andromeda greeted awkwardly, realizing that this was the first time she was meeting someone's parents.

Hira's mother nodded warily, not smiling. "Hello. Hira has told us about you. I'm glad she's made a friend like you. Sorry if the place is a mess."

"It's fine." Andromeda tried to assure. She didn't mind a little clutter; it made the place more homey, more lived-in. She remembered the first apartment she had lived in just a year ago.

With introductions out of the way, Hira led the way to her room. Andromeda followed, though her eyes were drawn to a strange display as they walked through the living room. A picture frame stood in the center on top of a chest. The photograph was of a grinning young man with a couple of braids in his hair. A stick of incense burned in front of the frame, and various trinkets were placed around the frame, but it remained the center of attention.

Hira noticed where Andromeda's attention was drawn. She grabbed her hand to pull her along, muttering, "That's for my older brother. He died in Galahd."

Andromeda let herself be pulled along, watching Hira as she entered her bedroom and settled on the floor with her school bag. She had known that Hira and her family were refugees, but she hadn't considered that they could have faced the Imperial forces and lost family. It wasn't too different from what Andromeda had experienced. Yet she couldn't even explain that to Hira. The other girl seemed closed off, as if she didn't want to hear another word about it.

So Andromeda pulled her work out of her bag as well, sitting on the floor across from Hira. They quietly focused on their homework in hopes that the tense feelings would pass.

It was quiet between the two of them for a long time—so long that Andromeda was nearly finished with her homework when Hira gave a scoff. One of the last questions had stumped her, as could be seen by how she erased her answer.

"You must have done really well when you were in Galahd to get transferred to our school." Andromeda mentioned, looking for something to talk about.

"Yeah. Lal and I were some of the best students at our school." Hira replied. "Now that we're in Insomnia, my parents keep nagging me to keep it up so I can get into a good university and have a better life. I don't even want to go to college."

It was the same problem Andromeda had with Chad and Linda. The former shouldn't even have a say in what she did, but he did. Both Hira's parents and Linda had a reasonable argument, but did more education really make their lives better?

"Me neither." Andromeda admitted. "At least, I don't think I want to go."

"Really? Cause you seem pretty book smart." Hira commented. "What do you want to do after high school?"

Andromeda thought about her answer. Graduation was roughly three years away; they hadn't yet taken the high school entrance exam, much less thought about what life would be like outside of high school. She usually just focused on the present: how she hated living with Chad and how distant Linda had become. She and Andromeda didn't really say much to each other anymore, often too busy. Andromeda just avoided both of them at this point. If Linda hadn't brought her to the city, they wouldn't be drifting apart.

"I think I'd leave the city." Andromeda finally replied. "There's lots of stuff to see out in Lucis. I'd figure it out from there."

"Same, except I'd go back to Galahd. I never wanted to leave in the first place." Hira confessed, leaning back against her bed. "Maybe if we got the Nifs out, you could come visit."

"Maybe." Andromeda agreed, smiling. From what she had seen from Galahdians, it seemed like an interesting place. Maybe it wasn't too different from her home in Tenebrae, which was on the other side of the world.

"Aren't you from outside of the city anyway?" Hira asked.

Nodding, Andromeda had the lie well-rehearsed. "I was born in Cleigne. It's on the other side of the continent. I never got to see much outside of town."

"Is that where you were burned?"

Hira was blunt in asking that. Considering all that Andromeda was learning about her, she could give a little as well, even if it was a lie. "Yes. My family's house caught on fire. My aunt and I were the only ones that survived. She brought me to the city to see a doctor. Then we stayed because she could find work easier here."

It was close to the truth, at least. Andromeda hated to lie about it—it made the event seem so trivial when it had been so deliberate. Hira would have understood best, but could she be trusted with the truth? It was bad enough Chad knew.

She thought it over before replying with a shrug. "They don't look that bad."

Andromeda had heard that before, but Hira did not pity her. Her response was too casual to hold pity. If she did not pity a freak accident, she wouldn't pity the truth. Perhaps Andromeda should not pity her as well. If she didn't like it, then Hira would probably hate it. Pity was patronizing.

The door opened, narrowly missing Andromeda as Lal came in. From how he looked her over, it was clear he had been spying at the door.

"Is your aunt all burned up too?" He asked curiously. With both of the siblings' attentions, Andromeda realized that they had been curious about this for awhile. They were also the most blunt about it.

"No. She was the lucky one." She answered simply. She had yet to figure out just where Linda had been that day.

"Go away, Lal." Hira scolded.

He held up a folder. "I need help with my homework."

He sat on the floor with the girls. After a huff, Hira looked over his assignment with him. Andromeda looked as well. It was elementary stuff. She had to wonder if anyone was helping Lal at school.

With two middle school students helping him, Lal finished his homework quickly. Shortly after that they were called to dinner. They filed out of Hira's room and to the kitchen area, where there came a strong scent of spices. A man was helping Hira's mother finish setting the table.

"Dad, this is Andrea from school." Hira introduced her once they reached the table. The man looked Andromeda up and down. She noted the braids in his hair, though she had seen many Galahdians with braids on her way here.

He spoke something strange. Andromeda stared, trying to make sense of it. He had spoken so fast—she must have not been paying enough attention to understand what he said.

"Hello." Hira's father grinned at her confusion. "Hira has said you've helped her a lot in school. Don't worry about table manners. We don't use them here."

Andromeda took a seat next to Hira and followed whatever she did as everyone filled their plates. She didn't recognize some of the things she put on her plate, but she didn't want to offend Hira's parents by passing on a dish. When she had a little of everything on her plate, she tried a bite of some kind of bean casserole. It was much spicier than she expected, but she resisted the urge to reach for her glass of water.

"So Andrea," Hira's mother spoke up. "Where do you live?"

"The eighth district." Andromeda stated. Both parents paused at that.

"That's quite a hike from here." Hira's father commented. "You must live closer to the school, then."

She nodded. It was also a much nicer neighborhood; they knew that. Only Lucians seemed to live in that district.

"What do your parents do?" He asked.

"I live with my aunt and her boyfriend." Andromeda replied, trying to avoid the subject of her parents. She didn't want to explain it again. It felt shameful to admit that her aunt was not married to the man she lived with, though. "My aunt used to work in a warehouse in the twentieth district. She's in between jobs right now. Her boyfriend works in security at the Citadel."

"A job in the Citadel is impressive." Hira's mother observed. "Your aunt is a smart woman."

Andromeda didn't understand what she meant by that, nor the smirk she gave afterwards. Hira groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Andrea's not from the city either." She changed the subject. "She moved from Cleigne two years ago."

Her parents visibly relaxed, their shoulders losing some tension. Her father leaned back in his chair. Had they thought Andromeda had been born and raised in this city the whole time? It was a thought that had made them uncomfortable; now that they understood she was also an outsider in the city, they were less tense.

"Where in Cleigne?" Hira's father asked.

"Just a small town." Andromeda shrugged, then went on when he still waited. "Old Lestallum. It's towards the south."

They had probably never heard of the town, nor had a clue where it was in Cleigne. It didn't really matter to any of them.

"Well we're glad that Hira has made such a good friend." Hira's mother repeated herself from earlier. "You've done a lot by helping her get her grades up."

"Hopefully you both do well on the entrance exams and get into the same school." Her husband added.

Andromeda could see where Hira's parents were always focused on those upcoming exams. They made a good point, and she also hoped she and Hira would earn similar scores and go to the same high school. Hira was also her first friend in the city.

"Maybe you could help Lal as well." Hira's mother suggested. The boy played with his food, pretending he didn't hear the criticism about his grades.

"I could." Andromeda agreed. His homework had been easier compared to what she had. He didn't annoy her as he did Hira.

Hira's parents backed off on their strange dinner conversation/interrogation, moving on to talk to Lal about his grades, and generally what happened at school. He would also face entrance exams in another year, but only to enter middle school. It wasn't as worrisome as the high school entrance exam.

As spicy as the food was, Andromeda managed to clean off her plate. Lucian food, especially the stuff Linda cooked, was not as flavorful as Galahdian food. Though she tried not to drink so much, Andromeda had had two glasses of water to get through dinner.

She stayed around after dinner to help clean up, which only impressed Hira's parents more. Afterwards, with homework completed, Andromeda had to get home before she missed curfew. They invited her back whenever she wanted to come, claiming that the door was open for her. She intended to take them up on that offer.

* * *

In fact, after her first visit to Hira's home, Andromeda began to visit the library less, going to Hira's apartment instead. Though it was larger than Chad's apartment, it could be cramped for a family of four and a guest. No one minded it; it was better than the isolation Andromeda felt where she lived. Helping Hira and Lal gave her an excuse to get out of Chad's apartment, which she felt that she was about to be trapped in just as Linda was, if she ever spent enough time there.

* * *

The dreams continued to happen on occasion, but she never saw the strange girl and the witch, whom she really wanted to revisit, again. Andromeda's dreams never took her back home in Tenebrae, but stayed closer to where she was.

Linda was a repeating subject. Andromeda only observed in those dreams as her aunt argued with Chad, and cowered before immigration agents. One of the dreams went back home, after Niflheim invaded. Linda was chained to a chair, questioned by officers about remaining rebels. One of the men stood very close to her.

Then there were other dreams that made no sense. Andromeda wouldn't have thought much of them if it wasn't for the fact how clear they were, especially the people and their situations. Yet there were so many of those that she too easily forgot about them throughout the day.

There was much on Andromeda's mind at the end of the school year and throughout the summer. Once the exams were over and she found out which high school she would be going to, there was hardly time to celebrate before Chad and Linda once again enrolled her in the summer program at the nearby university. Just as they hoped, it kept Andromeda busy for much of summer vacation. There was only two weeks between when the program ended and the school year began.

Andromeda went directly to Hira's neighborhood on the first day, surprising the girl with her sudden appearance at her door. She had invited Hira to the summer program (if only for the sake of having a friend there with her), but Hira's parents hadn't been able to afford the enrollment fee. The girls had gone most of the vacation without a word from each other. They had a lot to catch up on in two weeks. They started first by telling each other their exam results and what school they were going to—the same one, just as they had hoped. They immediately then started by wandering through the neighborhood. They weren't the only youths doing so.

The rules were different in this neighborhood. For instance, in the middle of the day, traffic was slow enough and space was scarce, so some boys took to playing a ball game in the middle of the street. Plenty of adults saw it and didn't look twice. The boys always saw cars coming and moved out of the way to let them pass.

Lal was one of the players and spotted Andromeda and Hira not long after they had left the apartment. He insisted that they join the game, although Andromeda was hesitant. Even when she and Hira agreed, she didn't quite understand the rules. At the end of the game, she wasn't sure whether anyone won. Property damage had been narrowly avoided; a few adults had scolded them when the game got too out of hand.

The girls tagged along with the boys after the game to a street vendor for lunch. The cook was just opening his small kitchen when the group of teens bombarded him. If he was annoyed, they didn't notice.

"So, how was that program thing at the university?" Hira asked trivially once they had gotten food and sat down at a table. Her tone suggested that she didn't really care about the answer—she hadn't been interested when Andromeda had told her about it.

Andromeda gave a shrug, having more interest in her food. There wasn't as many spices in it as was usually in the food in Hira's home. Andromeda had missed meals at her apartment during the summer. She also wondered if she had lost whatever tolerance she had been building up for the spices.

"It was alright. It's kinda boring now." She explained. Now that they had taken their high school entrance exams, the classes had gotten more serious. Hira hadn't missed out on anything.

"It was boring here too. Though we did have a couple of street festivals." She said. "You should come to the next one."

"I'll try, but I still have to make it back home before curfew." Andromeda reminded her.

Most of the time, she made it back to Chad's apartment just before curfew. Shortly after her first visit to Hira's home, she had told Linda about her friend. Linda didn't mind, so long as Andromeda made it back by nine. Like Hira's parents, she was just glad Andromeda had finally made a friend and it made her seem a little happier. Chad, of course, had his opinion on it as well. He worried that Hira's neighborhood was far away, and full of immigrants. Linda then became concerned that it was a bad neighborhood for Andromeda to be visiting. The few times Andromeda arrived back after curfew only raised their suspicions.

"Speaking of," Hira cleaned off her first skewer of meat. "When do I get to visit your apartment? You've seen mine dozens of times and met my family. I don't care about the boyfriend, but when will I meet your aunt?"

Andromeda hesitated to answer. Honestly, she hadn't thought Hira had that much interest in her life. She had been reluctant to accept Andromeda's help in school at first, then steadily became more comfortable around her. Hira had introduced Andromeda to plenty of her family members: a couple of aunts and uncles, some close cousins and some distant cousins. Some people were just clansmen, whatever that meant. Andromeda even knew Hira's neighbors; with every visit to the neighborhood, she was introduced to at least one new person.

It would only be polite to introduce Hira to her family as well, although it only consisted of one relative. Andromeda could not imagine Hira and Chad sitting at the same table peacefully.

"I don't know." Andromeda replied reluctantly. "It's complicated. Besides, why would you want to eat bland Lucian food? My aunt never learned to cook-"

She stopped before "Tenebraen" could leave her mouth—the word had become taboo among her and Linda, as if saying it would cause suspicion. Her abrupt pause was just as suspicious as if she had finished her sentence. Hira tilted her head slightly in confusion.

"Cook what?" She asked.

"Well, anything." Andromeda answered quickly. If she hesitated any longer, Hira would get annoyed. "My aunt is not a good cook."

That was a complete lie. Linda was a decent cook, from what she had learned here in Insomnia. She had just never learned to cook before leaving Tenebrae. Her meals certainly weren't bland, but they weren't as flavorful as Galahdian dishes.

Hira grinned. "No wonder you're always visiting my home."

She bought it. Andromeda was thankful the moment passed. Though she began to wonder if she should just be honest with Hira—about everything. She would understand, also being an immigrant to the city. It wasn't easy to get in. Andromeda felt that Hira could be trusted. She was bound to find out at some point, since they spent so much time together. Considering that Linda had already told Chad, Andromeda only felt justified that she confide in someone as well. Hira was certainly more trustworthy than him.

The girls broke off from the boys after lunch, wandering the neighborhood for the afternoon as they continued to catch up. Andromeda was introduced to a few more faces, and greeted by many more—she was becoming well-known in the neighborhood, as if she did live there.

As evening came, she and Hira returned to the latter's apartment for dinner. Her parents were glad to see Andromeda again, asking all about her summer and high school. They were excited to find out that the girls would be in the same class and school again, just as they had wanted.

Andromeda left after dinner, arriving back at Chad's apartment just before curfew. He and Linda were watching a movie when she walked in, trying to be quiet.

"You should have said you wouldn't be home for dinner." Her aunt noticed her right away, frowning.

"I always stay for dinner when I go to Hira's." Andromeda pointed out moodily. Before the summer program, this had been a regular thing. Why wasn't Linda used to it by now?

"You were gone most of the day." She countered.

"I thought that's what you wanted."

"Andrea!"

Chad threw a look at Andromeda. "I don't like the attitude you've been picking up in the Galahdian district."

She ignored him, going to her room to get clothes for a shower. Who was he to her? He was not family.

"Some communication would be nice." Linda called after Andromeda.

To make a point, she continued to ignore both of them. She thought about suggesting she get a cellphone, like all of her classmates had, but thought better of it. Chad would have to buy it for her, and he would refuse to pay another bill on her behalf. Wasn't it enough that he paid for her food and school uniforms?

Andromeda went into the bathroom and they resumed watching their movie. They ignored each other when she went to her bedroom again. She went straight to bed.

The next morning, she went to Hira's again—this time with more defiance.


	5. Part 1:5

The school year finally began, and tempers settled down. Andromeda still usually went to Hira's home every day, but it wasn't nearly as bad when she spent most of the day in school. Linda stopped expecting her for dinner.

The strange dreams resumed, although Andromeda didn't consider them too much. She didn't understand most of them. Yet once in awhile, a dream would be vivid.

One such dream took her into a very dark place, lit only by the blue glow of countless purple crystals held within a towering stone. She had never seen anything like it before; she knew enough that crystals did not glow on their own. The crystals gave off just enough light so she could barely see the dark room she was in. It was large and circular. Nothing else seemed to be there—it was a room reserved for this stone alone.

A rumbling seemed to come from the crystal, but Andromeda didn't understand it. Then something moved in the corner of her vision. An older man was standing not too far from where she was, seeming to just take notice of her as well. He was just as startled as she was that there was another person there. He wore an elaborate suit, complete with some kind of shoulder guard and a cape.

Neither one of them moved. The man was about to speak, then it all went away.

Instead of waking in her bedroom, she became alert again in another dark place, illuminated with white light by a towering, glowing woman standing a few paces away. Her light made it difficult to make out any features.

"That was close." She smiled towards Andromeda. "Your dream walking is so erratic, but you have a natural talent for it."

"What?" The girl shook her head. "I'm only dreaming."

"Oh no. This is not a dream, just as those strange dreams were not actually what you thought they were." The woman chuckled. "Few have actually managed to dream walk to someone who was not asleep."

"Dream walk?"

"It's the ability to travel in your sleep to another person's dreams, or sometimes, when they are awake." She explained. "With practice, you'll get more control over it."

Andromeda shook her head again. "I don't want to see other people's dreams! I just want to sleep."

The glowing woman continued to smile. "Andromeda, when I returned you to life with my blessing, it came with strings attached."

She froze, suddenly remembering what she had put to the back of her mind years ago. "Etro?"

"Even if the Six rule the world, your parents never forgot me." The woman's smile seemed to brighten at being recognized. "Don't let others discourage you from what you know to be true."

"What are these strings?"

"You will learn them all in time. Some you have already demonstrated." She waved her right arm, and an image appeared. Andromeda recognized the old apartment she and Linda had lived in three years prior. Shadows flitted about in the dark, startling her now just as they had done then.

When Andromeda started, Etro let the image disappear. "That was no coincidence. Though I had no intention of my gifts to start so early. The dream walking started just when it was supposed to, and others will follow soon."

"Why now? What am I supposed to do with all this?" Andromeda had many other questions to ask.

"You may do whatever you wish. It's your choice." Etro gestured towards the image again, and it changed to that of the strange girl in the forests of Tenebrae. She then stood before many people, wearing a white dress and wielding a silver trident. "Today, the Oracle has ascended." The goddess paused as she contemplated the image herself. "Poor girl. She has no choice in her fate as Bahamut's tool. Such a lonely life as well."

While the people cheered in the image, Andromeda only felt sadness, shared by Etro. She didn't quite understand why something so joyous felt so terrible to her.

"With the Chosen King, the prophecy will soon be fulfilled." The goddess let the image fade as she turned to Andromeda again.

"Am I part of this prophecy?" She didn't know of any prophecies. She hadn't even acknowledged that the Oracle's Ascension had been celebrated, having stayed away from any celebrations in Insomnia.

Etro shook her head. "No. Your life is your own. Though Bahamut sees my intervention as a threat. He does not enjoy my meddling in his grand scheme. But whether you intervene in his prophecy is up to you. Your existence already does enough."

"I don't understand..." Andromeda began. There was so much to take in; she didn't know where to go on with that sentence.

"Bahamut is a strict god who demands the people play their roles as he dictates." Etro explained with a slight frown. "But you have nothing to fear from him. He knows that I came before him. I was even the patron deity of the House Lucis Caelum, before they replaced me with him. That was long before this prophecy was conceived. Bahamut will not attack you, because I am never far."

There was still more that Andromeda wanted to know. Etro's words gave some comfort, but her illumination began to dim. She was leaving.

"Wait!"

"You will learn the answers for yourself in time. Be mindful of your dreams—they are so much more than that." Etro smiled one last time. "Don't be afraid to practice your gifts."

* * *

The days that followed were dreamless. Andromeda didn't find it any easier to breathe. There was no way of knowing what was going to happen next. Etro had said there were more powers to come. Would it be like those shadow things Andromeda had once seen three years ago?

For a couple of days, Andromeda suddenly took interest in the Oracle. Not just in Lunafreya in particular, but those that came before her as well. Her interest didn't last long. It sounded rather demanding and miserable to be an Oracle. She didn't understand why Etro had planned for her to learn of her gifts when Lunafreya became Oracle. Andromeda couldn't heal people. Neither girl would ever cross paths.

Through her first year of high school, Andromeda slowly forgot Etro's message as she became worried about homework and other things that occurred throughout her day. The strange dreams came back, but she never returned to the room with the Crystal or the forests in Tenebrae. The other dreams did not mean anything like those two had.

It wasn't until the end of the school year that Andromeda finally made it to a Galahdian street festival. She had tried to go to their New Year's celebration, but Linda refused, dragging her to the shrines to give empty prayers to Bahamut. Chad had her convinced that street festivals could be dangerous, and so both were against them. It took the second half of the school year for Andromeda to muster up the courage to defy them and just go without their permission, so long as she returned before curfew.

Hira was elated, pulling Andromeda along the street. It had been cramped before; now there were crowds in the street, going from one thing to another. Tents had been set up for visiting vendors and music performances. The neighborhood was filled with many different aromas, all of which actually blended well together in the air.

The girls stepped underneath one of the tents. A couple of women were seated at a long table. Across from each one was a person who was applying ink to their hands.

Andromeda hesitated. "I don't know about this."

"Relax. It's just henna." Hira assured.

"My aunt would kill me."

"It's okay. It washes out in a couple of weeks." One of the seated women butted in. Her two companions nodded. "There's no harm in it."

"Who cares what your aunt will think? You haven't let it stop you yet." Hira added.

It was a convincing argument. Andromeda had just snuck away from Linda after she was told that she couldn't go to the festival. She might as well go all the way and have henna applied to her hand.

Once two seats were opened up, Andromeda and Hira took them. They each only had the back of the left hand painted with a simple pattern. The women had had much more intricate patterns painted on their hands—they were married.

It only took ten minutes for the henna to be painted. Once they were done, Hira dragged Andromeda back out into the street to the next attraction, not allowing her much of a look at the pattern on her skin. They moved carefully as to not brush the wet ink on anything and smudge the work.

They stopped at various areas to watch dance performances. Each one was a little different in colors, but the dress was about the same, complete with scarves and bangles. Andromeda didn't know anything about dancing, but the actions of each dancer's movements seemed to be deliberate with an intention, as if each performance was a story.

"Do you dance?" Andromeda asked Hira after the third performance ended. They had no problem with clapping, so long as they didn't accidentally bump into anything.

"I hate dancing." Hira snorted. "I got lucky. There's more than enough girls in this neighborhood to do it."

When the dances were over, the musicians still played. They were spaced far enough away from each other so their sound would not overlap. It was a long walk from one music group to the other, especially with the crowds.

By the time the ink was officially dry, the girls were hungry. Andromeda hadn't thought to bring money (what little she had saved). Thankfully, for this one night, food in the neighborhood was free, made by the residents to share with everyone.

"This festival was even bigger back home," Hira explained as they picked food from one potluck table. "Before the Imperials came. The city has restrictions here too. We make the best of it."

Andromeda nodded to that. She wasn't sure what it was that they were celebrating—it was some vague holiday not recognized in Insomnia. Hira had not offered an explanation, and it didn't seem like she was ever going to. It didn't seem like it was that big of a deal. Maybe it was just a way for the refugees to feel more at home.

After dinner, they continued hopping from one attraction to the next. Plenty of craftsmen had displays of their work, none of which Hira nor Andromeda could afford. There were a few clothing vendors, selling traditional Galahdian clothes. Many people in the crowd wore such clothes, but it seemed the most wore casual Lucian outfits. There was even a weaponsmith among the vendors. The girls didn't get too close. Andromeda noted the men that lingered around there, eyeing passerbys.

Eventually, as the evening grew darker, the girls strayed from the festival and its crowds. Hira led the way into someone's backyard. It was small, made moreso by the people who both sat and stood around a fire pit. Many of them noticed the girls walk in.

"What's going on here?" Andromeda asked Hira in a hushed voice. It felt like they had walked into something they shouldn't have.

"Elders usually tell stories at these festivals." She told her, only being slightly quiet.

"Andrea, welcome." One of the men called. Andromeda recognized a few faces among the people, although she couldn't remember exactly who was who and how they were connected to Hira. "You've finally made it to one of our festivals."

"Settle in, girls, so I can get started with the next tale." An old woman called from before the fire. "It's not often we allow an Insomnian to listen to our storytelling. Listen well."

Hira herded Andromeda to a couple of spare chairs on the fridges of the gathering. Once they were seated, the old woman began telling a story. One story led into another, and others beyond that. Other storytellers took over when it was time to tell their story. The stories started as mythical tales, with heroes and battles, and over time turned to more modern stories of their fight against Niflheim, up until Galahd fell.

Andromeda did as she was told, listening intently the whole time. No one left in the middle of a story; they waited until the storyteller was finished before moving on. She lost count of how many stories she had sat through, but suddenly she realized how dark the sky had gotten, and how low the fire burned.

"What time is it?" She turned to Hira.

The other girl's face fell as she also realized how much time must have passed. Andromeda was going to miss curfew.

They hardly said goodbye to those around them before they rushed out of the backyard. The festival itself was winding down as people had their fill and went home. It made it easier for Andromeda to rush through the streets. She stopped momentarily at Hira's apartment.

"Are you going to be okay?" Hira asked at the door. She had never asked that question before. Andromeda had never deliberately crossed a line like this before.

She nodded. "I'll catch up with you at school."

There was no time for other words, although she had planned to admit everything to Hira. It would have to wait for another night, whenever Andromeda would be allowed to return. She rushed down the street and to the train station. There would be serious trouble when she arrived at Chad's apartment.

* * *

The air was thick with tension as Andromeda entered the apartment. It was almost midnight. Linda and Chad were still awake, waiting for her. She casually hid her left hand behind herself. They were standing in the living room, glaring at each other. Andromeda assumed they had just been fighting about something. They did that now.

"Where were you?" He demanded. Linda turned to face her, standing close to the bedroom door.

Andromeda drew a breath, glancing at her bedroom. If she moved quickly, she could try to slip in there and close the door before either of them grabbed her. But not before she gave them the honest answer.

"I was at Hira's."

"I told you you couldn't go to that festival." Linda scolded. "You missed curfew. You know I don't want you out this late!"

"Why not? You used to, when you had a job." Andromeda muttered.

Linda gaped at her, but Chad spoke before she could react more. "That was uncalled for! You know she had to quit before you both got caught."

"And now she's not allowed to leave unless you're with her." Andromeda never picked a fight with him before, but noticing the energy in the room, she was ready to pick up wherever they left off. Linda had probably been losing, as usual. "You're not protecting us. You're controlling us."

"Andrea, that's enough." Linda warned. She looked so tired, for someone who had plenty of time to herself.

"You should be a little more grateful. Didn't I get you into a better school, and signed you up for all of those summer programs to help your education? If it wasn't for my help, you wouldn't be on track to go to a good college. Everything you have is because of me!" Chad retorted. They may not have ever fought before, but that didn't mean the issues didn't build up over the past three years.

"I didn't ask for your help! You just look for any place to send me because you don't want me around!" Andromeda snapped, all of her anger coming to the surface. "We were fine without you!"

A sudden shattering of glass disrupted the conversation as a nearby picture frame fell off of the wall, shattering its glass on the floor. Linda rushed to pick it up. Chad quickly got over his surprise.

"Of all the things I give you, and that's how you repay me?"

"I didn't do that! It happened on its own!" Andromeda insisted. To contradict her, the lights suddenly dimmed.

"Andrea, whatever trick you are up to, please stop." Linda began pleading with her now. She hated that her aunt resorted to that.

"That's not my name!" Despite the strange happenings, Andromeda still didn't calm down. Her anger turned on Linda. "We were better off homeless than coming here! Now I can't even talk to you!"

A gust of wind passed through the room, although no windows were open. Chad watched her with a strange expression.

"Just stop, Andrea." Linda continued to kneel by the broken picture frame.

Andromeda's anger towards Chad did not compare to how she felt towards her aunt. Linda was the one who dragged her to this city, where neither of them belonged and constantly feared being caught. She tried to erase their true origins, as if they were nothing. They had to lie every day. Their family used to be so close: how could someone walk away like she did? Andromeda was never given a choice in all of it.

Plenty more crashes came from the kitchen as cupboards opened and dishes flew out. Chad dashed over to see the damage. He disappeared from view. A few seconds later, following a louder crash, there was an explosion. An orange light filled the room with a roar.

Fire.

Linda stood and gripped Andromeda's arm. She stood frozen in place as the flames appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. The grip released for a moment as Linda ran into the bedroom, then returned to tug her to the door. Her feet were planted in the carpet. The smoke detector screeched. Chad hadn't come out of the kitchen yet, or even screamed.

"Andromeda!" Linda yelled loud enough to get her attention. She ripped her feet up and followed her out of the apartment, then out of the building completely.

They ran for awhile, Linda keeping a grip on her niece's arm the whole time. They ran for many blocks, eventually entering a train station and taking the first one out of the district. It was there that they caught their breath. Linda let go of Andromeda to put her face in her hands, their papers resting on her lap.

Neither of them spoke the whole time. When the train reached its final stop, they got off and wandered the streets at a slower pace. There was no where they could go.

It was all beginning to blur for Andromeda. She didn't understand all that had happened in the apartment, but she knew it had something to do with what Etro had explained to her. What a terrible gift! It couldn't even be called "gift"; it was a curse. She hadn't had control at all—she hadn't even realized that she was the one doing it. She had killed someone.

The streets had become quieter in the late hour before Linda nudged her arm and pointed across the street. "Come. We can stay there."

Her aunt took her hand, as if she was a child again, and led the way across. A modest sign over the door read "Shelter". There were still lights on inside.

Someone was even sitting at the shoddy front desk when they entered. The woman became more alert at their appearance. "How can I help you?"

"We're looking for a place to stay." Linda explained. "We were evicted today."

The woman came out from behind the counter. "You've come to the right place. We have a few beds to spare. Your daughter looks like she's going to collapse."

"Niece." Linda corrected as they were ushered further inside.

They entered a large hall with rows of beds in it. Many people were already sleeping in them, or being quiet enough that others could sleep. Two were assigned to them. Andromeda was left at their beds while Linda was taken away to do paperwork. She thought it wouldn't be possible to sleep: she could only think about the fire and how she had killed someone with a power she didn't understand or want. The authorities were about to find her and her aunt and deport them. There was too much going on inside her head to fall asleep. Yet no sooner did her head hit the pillow did she go unconscious.

* * *

The last place Andromeda expected to wake up was in a large hall filled with beds and other people. Despite the gentle murmur echoing in the hall, she was actually woken up by Linda. She looked even more worn than the night before.

She spoke in a hushed tone like everyone else; there were still a few people sleeping. "C'mon. I got an early bus ticket for you. Let's get in the breakfast line while it's still short."

Andromeda scrambled out of bed and followed her aunt's lead again. Those who were awake were quickly congregating into a line in a smaller hall, where food was being served. They both grabbed empty trays and let the volunteers serve them the same portions they gave to everyone else.

Both were still half-asleep when they took their seats at a long table. Andromeda was ravenous; dinner seemed so long ago. Linda ate much slower, not having an interest in her food. Andromeda was startled at first by the ink on her hand, then remembered the festival. That had seemed like a dream.

"Where is the bus going?" Andromeda was a little hopeful at knowing they were taking a bus. They only needed a ticket if they were leaving the city. After what had transpired the night before, they needed to disappear quickly.

"Outside of the city. The first bus stops at Hammerhead. You'll need to get on a second bus to get to Alstor Slough." Linda explained, passing papers over to her. They were her documents. Her aunt had held onto both of their documents for safekeeping. "Someone will pick you up from there. They let homeless teens stay with them. The ladies here told me about it last night."

"You're not coming?" Andromeda stopped eating. So far, they had never parted before. Linda didn't leave her behind in Tenebrae. Why was now any different?

She shook her head. "It's too dangerous for you to stay in the city. You'll love it out there. You'll be living on a farm with other people your age, and you'll get to see everything you wanted to see. You've always hated it here in Insomnia."

"But you're not coming." Andromeda repeated now as a disappointing fact. She briefly thought about Hira and the other teens in her neighborhood. She had begun to think that she was finding her place in the city.

"It's not my place out there. I need to stay here. They promised to help me. Besides, I'm too old for your job."

She didn't bother to reply to that, resuming her meal. Linda was being so selfish, as always. It didn't matter what Andromeda thought or wanted: her aunt would choose for her.

"Look, there hasn't been much news about last night yet. All that's been reported was the fire. The neighbors didn't even know our names. They said that Chad was still alive when they found him." Linda offered, as if it made the incident any less bad.

"Do you believe me now?" Andromeda didn't look up from her food. The strange things that happened to her couldn't be ignored now. Not even by someone as bullheaded as Linda. It was probably how she could so easily send Andromeda away now: she never wanted to deal with odd things.

She grimaced. "Yes."

They finished breakfast quickly after that, and hurried off to the bus station. Andromeda was more willing to part with her aunt. She would never accept her as she was. Whether or not either one of them wanted it to happen, Andromeda was stuck with Etro's blessing. It made her too dangerous to stay in the city. She only hoped she didn't have another episode out in the countryside.

Linda handed over the bus tickets and some money once they got to the station. She waited with Andromeda until it came time to leave. They shared a stiff, cold hug. Andromeda pulled away after a second, turning her back to her aunt to board the bus.

"This isn't goodbye." Linda insisted at the last moment. "I'll contact you soon! I love you!"

Andromeda didn't respond, handing her ticket over to the driver and finding a seat on the opposite side of the bus. Linda couldn't see her or wave goodbye. And why would she want to do either? She was only thinking about herself. She didn't care that beyond Insomnia's walls, Niflheim ruled. The very conquerors they were running from in the first place.

The bus soon lurched into motion. There were many passengers, but still plenty of empty seats. Who would so willingly leave Insomnia?


	6. Part 1:6

The bus rides were long, giving Andromeda plenty of time to think. Her anger towards Linda abated sometime after crossing into Leide, before there was any sign of Hammerhead on the horizon. She was briefly angry towards her mother and grandmother for bargaining with Etro, causing her to be "blessed". But had they been alive, they would not have sent Andromeda away as Linda had. Her last remaining relative discarded everything that her mother would have celebrated.

By the time the first bus stopped in Hammerhead (noted by its roof decorations), Andromeda's anger ran out. She found the next bus and boarded, moving like clockwork. Twenty minutes after arriving, she was on the road again.

She was getting what she wanted: she had wanted to leave the city as soon as they had arrived four years ago. Andromeda had wanted Linda to be with her, though. It wasn't long into the second bus ride that she realized that could never be. Her aunt had admitted to not being that type of person. Even in Tenebrae, she hadn't quite fit in. She was happy in Insomnia, but the city could throw her out at a moment's notice.

Linda had said that Chad had been found alive, but Andromeda knew that he couldn't have survived. She didn't know what had happened. All she knew was that she had somehow caused it. All of the slights from the past three years had built up and reached a breaking point in her. Things happened; she hadn't had any control over it. She couldn't have stopped it. She could only hope that it wouldn't happen again.

Thinking of the night before, Andromeda soon thought back to the festival in the Galahdian neighborhood. She had been happy there, unaware of what would happen once she returned to Chad's apartment. Perhaps if she hadn't stayed so long at the storytelling, she would not have missed curfew and that thing wouldn't have happened at all. Maybe she shouldn't have gone to the festival at all, even though she had really wanted to and it had been a lot of fun.

Had Hira heard what had happened? What did she think? What would she think when Andromeda did not show up at her doorstep, and never returned to school? She was the first friend Andromeda had made in a very long time. Hira made the city life easier, someone who Andromeda could commiserate with even if she couldn't explain the truth behind her scars. She had been so close to telling her the truth; she deserved to know and would understand. Now it wasn't likely they would ever see each other again.

The bus stopped at an Imperial blockade before crossing into Duscae. Andromeda offered up her papers as an officer went through the whole bus. She didn't even fear that something would be noticed; for as much as she had used them since receiving them, no one had noticed anything in Insomnia.

Without mishap, the bus was allowed to pass into much greener scenery. It wasn't long before it finally stopped at Alstor Slough.

Andromeda recognized the place as soon as she got off of the bus. She and Linda had spent the night here while traveling to Insomnia. The sun was setting, just as it had when they arrived. The meteor was already glowing blue. The outpost hadn't changed at all.

She couldn't admire the meteor this time. Someone was supposed to be meeting her here. Most of the bus passengers flocked to the diner or found someone waiting for them already. Andromeda wasn't sure who she was looking for.

A sun-weathered man approached suddenly while she was busy looking around. She didn't notice him until he was almost in front of her.

"Andrea?" He assumed with a grin. "You look to be the only kid traveling alone. You got a bag or something?"

She nodded nervously, holding her papers at her side. "That's me. I don't have anything."

"Good." He nodded back with much more confidence. "We'll do introductions on the way. We got no time to lose if we're gonna get home before nightfall. Daemons are a real problem when the sun's gone. This way."

The man began walking to a parking lot. Andromeda followed, picking up her pace as he moved quickly. Living inside the city's walls for so long, she had forgotten about the daemons that existed outside, making the night dangerous.

They came to an old truck and climbed in. Andromeda didn't think she had ever been in the cab of a vehicle before. The man started it up, and she was on the road yet again.

"Name's Trevor. You'll be working for me. We don't offer much pay, but you'll be fed and sheltered." The man explained as the truck sped down the road.

Andromeda's attention was caught outside the window, observing large garulas on the side of the road.

"There's two boys working for us now. You're the first person from the city to respond. I didn't think anyone would leave the city, but I put the offer out there. We pay hunters to protect the property lines, so you don't have to worry about daemons." Trevor continued. "My wife might have some clothes for you. Supper will be waiting for us."

It went quiet for awhile. There were only a couple of other people driving on the road at this hour. The scenery was forest for the most part, but there was a break in it for a ranch.

"Chocobos!" Andromeda perked up, seeing just a couple of giant yellow heads bobbing before the truck passed completely.

"Yep. That's Wiz's Chocobo Post. We're not far from home now. We'll visit sometime this summer. The boys like to race them." Trevor smiled. "Ever ride one before?"

"No." She shook her head.

"You will."

Just as he had said, the farm wasn't far from the Chocobo Post. The sun was nearly set when the truck came to a stop in the drive way. Trevor hurried Andromeda into the large farm house.

The smell of supper immediately hit her face once she was over the threshold. Taking their shoes off in the entry room, they proceeded into the dining room. An older, round woman and two teenage boys sat waiting at the table. Supper looked picked over.

At Andromeda and Trevor's appearance, the woman stood from her chair. "Come in! I told the boys to leave enough for you. I hope it's alright."

Only offering a weak nod, Andromeda's legs suddenly felt stiff. She walked towards the chair the woman had pulled out for her, and carefully took a seat, placing her documents on her lap. It wasn't that these people were threatening; she hadn't expected for people to be waiting for her arrival. It made Andromeda nervous.

"Andrea, this is my wife, Sheila," Trevor took a seat at the head of the table, but didn't immediately help himself to the food around him. "And these are Ian and Michael. Everyone, this is Andrea."

"Boys, pass some food her way. Whatever you left for her, that is." Sheila instructed, still hovering behind Andromeda's chair. The lanky boy with a thin face offered a half-hearted wave to her as he moved a dish closer to her place. The more brawnier boy gave a smile as he did the same.

"Help yourself, dear. And don't worry about your table manners. We don't practice them often here." Sheila patted Andromeda's shoulder, then took her own seat.

Andromeda did as she was told, remembering that the last meal she had was a meager breakfast at the homeless shelter. It was very far away now. The food here looked much better, and she was famished.

"So you're from Insomnia, right?" The brawny dark-haired boy—probably Michael—asked, although it was clear that they already knew that. From his tone, she could hear "outsider" was implied.

"Yes, but I was born in Old Lestallum. My aunt and I went to the city a few years ago so she could find work." Andromeda quickly explained before digging in. She didn't want to be seen as a stupid city kid. She wanted to blend in.

"She's still in the city, then? What does she do?" Michael rested his elbows on the table.

Sheila broke in. "Nevermind that. Come help me clean up, and let her settle in peace."

Both boys left the table with her, taking whatever empty dishes and plates there were. Andromeda breathed a sigh in relief. She didn't want to think about her aunt or the city. Then she would be reminded of what she had done.

"Sheila's a sweetheart, but she can have a temper." Trevor spoke up with a wry grin. His plate was not as full as Andromeda's. "She's glad you're here. She's always wanted a girl around."

Giving a nod, she chose not to respond, focusing on eating instead. Once finished, she helped clear the table of whatever was left, taking them to the kitchen. Instead of helping to clean up the kitchen, Andromeda was taken upstairs by the farm wife. She stood awkwardly as Sheila dug around in her bedroom closet. She handed over pieces of clothing until Andromeda's arms were full. Satisfied, Sheila then took her down the hall to a small bedroom.

"This will be your room. It's not much, but it's cozy." She explained, standing in the doorway. A wardrobe occupied the corner next to the door, and the bed took up much of the opposing wall. After those two pieces of furniture, there wasn't room for much else. There was only one window next to the bed. It was smaller than Andromeda's old bedroom.

"Thanks." She began putting the clothes away in the wardrobe, sorting them out. Shelia continued to stand by and watch.

"That mark on your hand—it isn't permanent, is it?" She asked carefully.

Andromeda glanced at the henna on the back of her hand. It felt like it had already been two weeks, but she had just had it painted on the night before. She shook her head. "No. It'll wash off in a couple of weeks."

"Good." Sheila sighed in relief.

Once the clothes were sorted and put away, she showed Andromeda where the bathroom was and left her to shower. The long journey suddenly left her tired. After that, rather than join the others downstairs, Andromeda simply went to her new room and collapsed onto the bed.

* * *

The first shock of her new living arrangements was how early they all had to get up to do farm chores. Andromeda was woken up by Trevor knocking on her bedroom door. After a few minutes spent getting dressed and waiting to use the bathroom, dawn broke over the horizon, sending the daemons back to their dark places.

The clothes she had been given were mostly jeans, tank tops and flannel shirts; all of which Andromeda didn't mind. She thought the flannel would be light enough to wear in the summer heat and cover the scars on her arms and chest. She was wrong.

She mostly followed the boys and Trevor around on the first day as they showed her around the property and how to do some routine chores. By the afternoon, they worked together to mend some fencing that the wild animals had been working through. Andromeda wasn't quite as strong as they were, but she was some use when it came to holding things.

As the sun shone high in the sky, even just holding things in place caused her to sweat. She finally admitted to herself that the guys would find out about her deformity one way or another: whether she had heat stroke or she willingly showed them. Doing it willingly was the better option.

Once her hands were free for a moment, Andromeda pulled the flannel shirt off and tied its arms around her waist. She immediately felt much better.

"Andrea, hammer this one in place." Trevor instructed as he held up a new wood plank. Ian had just pulled the old broken one from the two fence posts.

She took the hammer from him without looking at his face, but she could still feel his gaze on her, noticing how the skin of her arms and chest was twisted and waxy. It was odd enough that a girl her age was still flat-chested; as if that hadn't looked odd to them already. She grabbed some nails from the box as Michael and Trevor also took notice. She ignored them, waiting for the new plank to be positioned.

Trevor got over the shock first and held the wood in place. Andromeda placed the first nail on it and hammered into it until it was deep into the wood. The hammer seemed much louder than it really was. All conversation had died.

No one said anything about it. Once the board was in place, they moved on down the fence line. Michael eventually brought up something unrelated, and they carefully carried on.

* * *

As idyllic as farm life seemed to her, Andromeda took some time to adjust to it. Michael and Ian, who had already put a couple of years of work in, tirelessly moved from one chore to the next, leaving her behind. Trevor never admitted that she was too slow or weak. If night was approaching, they simply focused on what must be done before the sun was gone, leaving the rest for the next day.

True to his word, Sheila was always happy to see Andromeda, and had plenty of work for her to do, instead of working with the boys. While she helped in the garden, she also went into the forest to find wild plants that were useful, and usually enlisted Andromeda's help for that. The girl didn't mind; the hikes showed her how beautiful Duscae was. The forests weren't as dense as Tenebraen ones were, but they surely beat the skyscrapers of Insomnia.

There was far less decorum outside of the city, even for laypeople. One day a hunter stumbled across the farm. He was not one from the lodge that was on the property, where hunters stayed separately. One of the regular hunters brought the visitor to the kitchen, where Sheila and Andromeda were drying herbs. It filled the kitchen with many aromas, but not all of them went together.

Sheila answered the knock on the door, then ushered the men inside. She pushed the stranger into a chair.

"Andrea, grab a glass of water." She instructed the girl, who stayed at the counter and observed. The front of the hunter's shirt had two large bloodied gashes in it.

Andromeda did as told, filling the glass at the sink. She took it over to the hunter. He didn't seem too aware of his surroundings, but he took the glass and drank until it was empty. Sheila peered at his wounds.

"Thanks." He mumbled.

"Shirt off." Sheila ordered.

With much grimacing, the hunter managed to pull his shirt off on his own. Andromeda drifted back to the counter. She would resume drying herbs while Sheila doctored the hunter up. Whatever was in the oven was probably charred by now.

The woman tutted at the sight and fetched a bottle from the cupboards. "Andrea, help me with his wounds."

Reluctantly, Andromeda returned to the hunter's side. The gashes looked worse without a shirt to cover them up. His chest was covered with blood. It made her a little queasy.

Using a cloth, Sheila rubbed some paste into the wounds. The hunter hissed, but stayed still at her shushing. Andromeda used another wet cloth to wipe away any excess blood and dirt.

"Havocfang?" Sheila guessed.

"It was going for my throat." He explained.

"Then you are very lucky it missed."

She finished applying the paste, only for Andromeda to wipe it away with the blood and dirt. It seemed to only irritate the wounds more. Once they were clean, though, Sheila suddenly had a needle and string in hand.

"Shouldn't he go to a doctor?" Andromeda asked, frowning. No one here was qualified to sew stitches into human skin.

The hunter snorted. Sheila shook her head. "There's not many doctors out here, dear. The closest clinic is in Old Lestallum. There's no time left to get there before nightfall. We got the poison out, but these wounds are prone to infection. Watch closely. You'll need to know how to do this."

Andromeda did her best to keep from making faces as Sheila sewed the wounds shut. Occasionally Andromeda wiped any dribbling blood away. Sheila then covered the stitches up with bandages and led the hunter to the living room, where he could really relax. Andromeda took another glass of water to him. It was then that the boys and Trevor returned to the house, having heard of their guest. It was close to dinner time as well. Sheila and Andromeda returned to the kitchen.

The hunter stayed for dinner at Trevor's invitation. Until he had a decent meal, he wasn't quite ready to move to the hunters' lodge anyway. The boys had a fascination with hunting tales, and encouraged the hunter to tell of his latest endeavor. An injury meant that it had been a particularly difficult hunt.

Andromeda learned from the conversation that havocfangs weren't particularly fearsome creatures, although they were dangerous pests. The hunter had been overwhelmed by their numbers and caught by surprise when one sliced his chest open and snapped at his throat. That he escaped while delirious was the most surprising thing of the tale.

It prompted Trevor to tell his own story with havocfangs. Apparently he had been a hunter when he was younger. Such an encounter with the mutts was what made him decide to retire to farm. He still had two scars on his arm as a sort of trophy. Such scars were impressive in these parts of Lucis; once everyone was used to the sight of Andromeda's scars, they relaxed, yet still did not ask questions. They already knew there was no heroic story behind them.

* * *

Andromeda's bedroom had been the designated guest room, but Sheila made the living room couch as comfortable as possible. Once morning arrived, the hunter left. She and Trevor hadn't worried that this strange man would steal or betray their hospitality. They certainly didn't suspect anything from Andromeda.

Since coming to live on their farm, she hadn't had any "accidents". She began to wonder if what had happened in the city hadn't been a fluke, something her mind made up. Maybe she wasn't guilty of Chad's permanent disfigurement or death.

As she came to realize that, Andromeda truly began to relax and adjust to her new life. She started to work faster, and eventually broke the ice with the boys. They even let her sneak off with them to drink a beer, when the work was done early. All of the sudden, she seemed to have found a place she belonged.

* * *

Though she was hired as a farmhand, Andromeda helped Sheila a lot more than she did Trevor. No one minded it. When Sheila announced that she was going into town, Andromeda quickly tagged along, wanting to see more of the area.

They took the truck to the Cauthess rest area, which wasn't much of a town—it was a rest stop, as the name suggested, on the way to Old Lestallum. Giant stone arches looming omnimously overhead, casting shadows over most of the buildings as the sun shone directly overhead. Everyone else ignored them. Andromeda couldn't help but occasionally look up at the arches.

She helped Sheila unload crates of vegetables from the truck and take them to the back door of the diner. The cook gratefully took them, looking Andromeda over at first, but saying nothing.

"That's a strange-looking truck," Sheila mused as they were pulling the last of the crates from the back of the truck. Andromeda, and seemingly the whole minuscule village, turned to the road to see a massive black vehicle park by one of the brick buildings. Two men in black uniforms—the ornate sort worn by Insomnia's Kingsglaive—emerged from the truck. They didn't step far from their vehicle before the local sheriff appeared from his office to confront them.

A sinking feeling nearly planted Andromeda's feet where she was as she continued to stare, hoping that the longer she did, it would turn out that her eyes were simply playing a trick on her. She felt her fingers let go of the crate she was about to lift from the bed of the truck as one of the men in black looked in her direction.

"I have to go." She mumbled.

"What?" Sheila glanced at her.

Andromeda could suddenly move her feet again, and she tried to nonchalantly walk behind the opposing building, where there was some brush to hide behind. She then abruptly broke into a run, passing the brush and heading straight for the nearest copse of trees. And then she kept running.

There was a flash to her right, followed by a strange metallic popping sound, but Andromeda ignored it as she kept running, the adrenaline helping her move faster and not stumble. She thought she heard someone call for her to stop, but knew better than to listen. She weaved her way around in the brush, hoping to lose her pursuer.

A root suddenly tripped her, and she landed face-first in the dirt. She laid perfectly still, hearing footsteps stomping nearby, then stopping. She held her breath while the other panted.

A second popping sound broke the silence. "Well?" It was a woman.

"She went this way. Can't see through the brush at all." The panting man regained his breath enough to speak. "What'd the lady say?"

"She's never seen the girl before."

"The girl that was standing next to her?" The man asked dubiously.

"Yup." The woman clearly didn't believe it either.

The wind suddenly picked up as something loudly approached. There was a sharp release of pressure, then a new voice joined the conversation, echoing through the trees.

"Kingsglaive, state your business for being in Imperial territory." The second man commanded.

Without a word, there were two pops and a flash. In response, the something loudly departed, presumably to chase down the Kingsglaive.

Andromeda stayed where she laid for awhile longer, letting herself breathe. Only when she was certain that everyone was long gone, did she get up and look around. She was lost.

Picking a direction she was sure the Kingsglaive hadn't gone, she began walking. Luckily, she soon found the road to follow.

She wasn't sure where to go. After that scene, Andromeda didn't think she would be welcome back to the farm with Sheila. Certainly not without any questions as to what that was all about. No one wanted the authorities at their doorstep.

Of course, moving out to the countryside wouldn't erase what had happened in Insomnia. It would be easy for the authorities to figure out who had been living at the apartment. The only way they could have known that Andromeda had left the city altogether was that Linda could have told them. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. Her aunt betrayed her yet again.

She briefly thought that perhaps she should have just gone peacefully with the Kingsglaive, letting them take her back into the city for questioning. She could have lied and claimed that Chad did it to himself. Or she could have told the truth—that some long-forgotten goddess had granted her some horrific, uncontrollable power that hurt people. If Andromeda didn't get sent to prison, she would find herself in a psych ward.

"Andrea?"

She looked over her shoulder to see the farm truck, with Sheila hanging out of the driver's window. The truck crawled along, keeping pace with Andromeda's walking.

Rather than cross the road and get in, she dove back into the trees, running again. She heard her name called, but disregarded it. It wasn't even her real name.

The wind seemed to be picking up once more. Andromeda stumbled along, her face becoming hot and wet. The forest seemed to get darker the further she went in, but it wasn't dense. The sun wouldn't set for a couple more hours.

She spotted an abandoned shed and burst through its door, actually knocking it off its hinges. It seemed like a good place to hide until the wind, shadows, and everything else went away. She fell onto the dirt floor, then buried her face in her knees. It didn't block out the sounds of faint moaning on the wind, the last bits of glass rattling in the window frame, or the creaking wood of the shed and trees above.

"Andrea?"

This time, Sheila spoke more carefully, appearing in the doorway of the shed. Andromeda looked up, her vision blurry, but she knew it was her.

"Oh dear," Sheila stepped over the fallen door and sat on the floor next to her. She put her arms around her, patting Andromeda's head as the girl planted it into her shoulder to suppress her own crying. Andromeda found herself clinging to the older woman. She hadn't clung to someone in so long—not since waking in the medical tent in Tenebrae, four years ago.

Sheila held her there while she cried, shushing her while looking apprehensively at their surroundings as the wind and shadows raged. At some point, the door suddenly skidded across the floor, frightening both of them. Yet it all dissipated as Andromeda began to calm down. The sun began to shine outside again.

"Why didn't you tell them the truth?" She wiped the last bit of tears from her face, finally letting go of Sheila.

"Why would I? They looked like trouble, and you don't." The woman shrugged, standing and dusting herself off. "Though I guess it has something to do with... _that_?"

Andromeda nodded, standing as well.

"Well, we'll just keep today's events between ourselves. Now let's get home. It's almost time to start making supper."

Sheila led the way back to the truck, idling on the roadside. Once in the passenger seat, Andromeda took a nap.

* * *

Once they were back at the farm, they went straight to the kitchen. Andromeda was still drowsy from her nap as she cut vegetables. It wasn't long after their return that Trevor came in. He stood in the doorway for a moment as he observed the two women silently working.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "A couple of men in black came by looking for you, Andrea. They wore the king's emblem. I told them you had gone into town."

Andromeda and Sheila both turned to look at him. Trevor continued to stand there, frowning.

"We didn't see any men in black." His wife responded quickly. She glanced at Andromeda for confirmation.

"Right." She agreed, mouth dry.

"It must not have been that important, then." Sheila concluded. "If they change their minds, they know where to find her."

Andromeda was not reassured, but Trevor was content with that answer. He left the kitchen and the women returned to their work. She glanced over at Sheila as she prepared the meat. Lying to the Kingsglaive was one thing, but why did she just lie to her husband about it? She offered no answer. The discussion was over.

She raised a good point: the Kingsglaive knew where Andromeda was living. They could always come back and try to drag her back to Insomnia. Maybe it was the right thing to do, but Andromeda didn't want to think of what the Lucians would do to her then.


	7. Part 1:7

Neither one of the women told the boys anything of what had happened in town, nor why the Kingsglaive stopped by in the first place. The only change that occurred was that Andromeda was no longer willing to leave the farm—at least by truck. She still enjoyed hiking in the forest.

Since her episode in the forest outside of town, She sometimes had "upsets". Whenever she began to think back on her aunt and life in the city, and the Kingsglaive at Cauthess, something would break. Sometimes the little episodes came on randomly, without warning or provocation of any kind. Sometimes she fled to the forest if she thought it would get really bad, so that no one would see. Sheila covered it up gracefully, eyeing her carefully in case it would get worse.

As they waited for crops to grow, the three teens occasionally experienced afternoons free of work. Michael and Ian spent that time fishing or going to the shooting range. Andromeda stayed at the farm, or near to it. Perhaps staying so close would prevent another big episode from happening ever again. Even if the Lucian authorities knew where she lived and could stop in, she felt as though the farm was the only safe place for her. She had already scoped out plenty of hiding places city people wouldn't think to look into. She wouldn't be so lucky again if they found her in town.

After two weeks of denying invitations to join the boys on their free afternoons, Michael would no longer take no for an answer. He even got the help of Sheila.

"It's just about mandatory. Every Lucian kid has to learn to ride a chocobo." He stated, cornering Andromeda in her room. "You can't call yourself a country girl until you've done it."

"I know." She sighed. She really did want to go, but the thought of leaving the safety of the farm made her stall. She entertained the thought that Kingsglaives would fall out of the trees, as if they were the Magitek soldiers that frightened her so when she was a girl.

"Trevor told me how excited you were when you first saw the Chocobo Post. You must go." Sheila added to Michael's argument. "You won't miss anything here. Everything will be fine."

Andromeda had learned by now that there was no arguing with Sheila. She would force Andromeda out of the house next.

"Okay." She gave in, then smiled. Somehow, she had never ridden a chocobo before. It seemed to be yet another rite of passage she had missed out on in her childhood. If she wasn't so excited for it, it would almost be embarrassing that she was just learning now at sixteen.

Before Andromeda could change her mind, Michael was leading the way down the stairs and out of the house. Sheila blocked the door, not allowing anyone back inside. Ian was already leaning against the truck. They had made him wait awhile.

"Finally." He muttered under his breath.

The three of them clamored into the truck. As the oldest, Ian would drive. Andromeda was stuck in between the boys on the bucket seat. As soon as Michael closed the passenger door, they went down the dirt driveway and onto the road.

Michael and Ian were the only other kids her age that Andromeda knew. She had managed to break the ice with them, and they were used to her deformed skin by now. Michael was the most friendly, but Ian didn't like her. Likewise, Andromeda didn't care for him either. If it wasn't for Michael, they wouldn't spend any time together at all.

The Chocobo Post wasn't any further from the farm than the Cauthess rest area, but the cramped seating made the ride seem longer. It was a relief when all three teens could scramble out of the truck and stretch their legs. They caught the many smells of chocobos: the hay, grain, and manure.

They each paid to rent a chocobo for the afternoon. Andromeda also paid for a brief riding lesson in a spare paddock. They waited at the paddock off to the side of the ranch. A stable hand brought out a chocobo for each of them. Andromeda looked up curiously at the chocobo she would ride as the stable hand approached. It observed her curiously as well.

"Okay, first thing first: left foot in the stirrup, then pull yourself up and swing your other leg to the other side." The stable hand instructed. Andromeda did as told. The chocobo raised its head even more as she settled into the saddle.

"You got this!" Michael called from the gate. Neither he nor Ian had mounted their chocobos yet. The latter was annoyed by waiting even more.

Andromeda grinned, although she had mixed feelings. Having a little upset was one thing, but what if she had another episode, out here in the open where there were other people? How many more would she end up killing?

"Now, the most important thing is confidence." The stable hand explained, getting Andromeda's attention again. "If you're afraid, the chocobo will be afraid. And there's no way to catch a frightened chocobo."

Andromeda nodded. She just had to hope nothing would happen this afternoon. If she spent the whole time worrying, how would she even learn anything? A sixteen-year-old Lucian kid should be able to ride a chocobo on their own.

The stable hand began to lead the chocobo around the paddock, telling Andromeda once in awhile how to sit, how to go faster, how to stop, and how to slow down. They made two laps before the stable hand gave the reins over—before Andromeda felt ready for them. The next two laps around the paddock were clumsy as the chocobo frequently stopped at her accidental gesture.

"She'll be fine." Michael assured the stable hand. "We'll take her out on the trail for more practice."

The stable hand nodded, opening the gate to let herself and Andromeda and her chocobo out. Andromeda was just happy that she was able to direct her chocobo to the other two. The boys mounted their birds without help. They had been doing this for years.

"What about the races?" Ian asked.

"Next time. Let's just do a leisurely trail ride, for Andrea's sake." Michael answered, then took the lead. The mouth of the trail was nearby.

With hardly any nudging from Andromeda, her chocobo followed the other two on the trail. They kept at a walk as they descended into the forest below, passing large boulders along the way. She began to relax and sway in the saddle, following the chocobo's movements underneath her.

"Not bad for a city girl." Michael had turned back to observe Andromeda with a grin. "You really come from the countryside after all!"

She grinned again in return. She didn't have to tell the chocobo anything; it seemed to understand to just follow the other two.

"Does this beat the city life yet?" He asked.

"It was already better as soon as I got off of the bus." Andromeda replied.

Her life would have been all the worse if she had stayed in the city. Her thoughts didn't drift to her usual musings. Instead, she remembered the fun she had had with Hira in the city. They had their own amusements there, too. Andromeda wished she and Hira could have ridden chocobos together like this.

They followed the trail downhill. Once the ground leveled, the trees gave way to Alstor Slough, a plain wetland with the massive but shallow lake in the center. The chocobos made for the water, where a towering white creature with many horns was grazing.

"What is that?" Andromeda asked, wary.

"The catoblepas." Ian said simply.

"What?"

"Catoblepas." He pronounced each syllable slowly, still annoyed at her for everything else.

Michael halted his chocobo just before the shore. Ian and Andromeda did the same as he turned to them. She continued to watch the massive four-legged creature as it held its head low in the water.

"Alright, now that you have the basics down, how about an unofficial race?" He suggested. "First one around the lake wins."

"What about that?" Andromeda gestured to the catoblepas.

"It won't even notice we're here."

"Let's do it." Ian agreed to the race.

The boys roughly lined up next to the shore. Andromeda nudged her chocobo to join them. She wasn't that confident yet to race, but it was her inexperience that was holding the boys back this afternoon. If she did poorly, she could always just fall out of the race and join them when they were done.

"Ready?" Michael called. He waited a moment. "Go!"

He and Ian took off on their chocobos, sprinting. Andromeda nudged her chocobo with her heels and they were suddenly speeding along the shore as well. She hadn't been quite prepared for it, but managed to stay in the saddle. Although her chocobo seemed plenty fast enough to her, the boys were way ahead of her. There was no chance of catching up to them.

Andromeda didn't care to catch up, nor the fact that she would be dead last in the race. At a walk, the chocobo had swayed; while running, the ride was much smoother—and fun. She nudged at the reins to steer the chocobo around the curve of the lake. It was only then that she noticed the pack of havocfangs nearby. They stood still, watching the three chocobos run with mild interest. They wouldn't be able to catch any of them. She knew that and didn't care that they were there.

Reaching the north shore brought all three racers much closer to the catoblepas. As Michael had assured, it didn't look their way, completely oblivious to them as it continued grazing in the water. Why would it bother itself with such smaller creatures that moved much faster than it did?

The chocobo past the north shore soon enough. Andromeda could see where the boys were nearly to the spot they had started at. As she was distracted by where they were, she forgot to nudge the chocobo around the bend. Instead, it continued straight, into a herd of garula.

The larger animals snorted loudly as they scrambled away from the charging chocobo. It weaved through their herd, almost getting knocked aside or swished in between a few massive, hairy bodies. Andromeda ducked her head and nudged the reins in the direction of the lake, tightening her legs against the saddle to keep herself within it. It only encouraged the chocobo to sprint.

They were suddenly out of the herd, and the boys and their chocobos were not much further away. Andromeda relaxed again and the chocobo slowed down as they approached the other two. It stopped before them and the teens laughed. The garula herd had stampeded towards the smaller ponds further away.

"Not bad for your first day. You'll be able to race with us next time." Michael acknowledged. "Let's get these guys back to the post before the sun sets."

Andromeda was nowhere near ready to race either Michael or Ian, but she didn't protest. She already preferred the trail-riding—when there was no rush.

They walked back up the trail to the Chocobo Post. They made it as the sun started to set, when their time was up. Once she dismounted, Andromeda realized how sore she was from riding in a saddle all afternoon. She tried not to let it show as she walked to the truck.

Just as Sheila had promised, nothing bad had happened. Or at least, nothing that Andromeda had caused. No spies had been lurking either. It brightened her mood. It was noticeable as they returned to the farm. Maybe she would be left alone, and could try to be as normal as possible.

* * *

It was a long while before they would all have time to return to the Chocobo Post again, but Andromeda often found herself invited along whenever the boys had spare time. They often went fishing at a nearby pond. She first went along for the company, then continued to join them for the beer. She had been hesitant when first given a can, but wanted to prove herself to the boys and drank as much as they did. They would avoid Sheila as much as possible upon their return to the farm. Ian would smuggle a six-pack along every time they went fishing, although wherever he had been able to purchase it while only being eighteen was a mystery. He still didn't like Andromeda, but he never kept her from coming along on their excursions.

Andromeda became less hesitant to leave the farm, but plenty of work kept her there. She still experienced effects of that fateful episode: it must had popped some sort of protective bubble, because the strange dreams started again. The fire that had deformed her body turned into the fire that burned Chad alive, but usually he didn't die in the dreams. He remained alive, a charred form that vaguely resembled a human.

Linda would appear sometimes too, almost always under the scrutiny of Niflheim military officers, although now sometimes they were Lucian Crownsguards, which made Andromeda loathe her. The Nifs were far more demanding about information that Linda didn't know. One officer groped her between the legs, then slapped her when he still didn't get what he wanted.

Occasionally, the Crystal, kept far away in Insomnia, made an appearance, followed by Bahamut's roar. Andromeda became particularly good at fleeing from that dream, as there was nothing she wanted from it.

One night, after so long, the Oracle appeared, bent over someone and holding their face. She was speaking something too quietly to hear. The dark splotches covering the person's body vanished as light radiated from Lunafreya. When it faded, she straightened.

"The Oracle has such a sad fate."

The scene faded to darkness, which was then illuminated by a glowing woman. Andromeda started, but she had more to say.

"She cleanses the world of Bahamut's Starscrouge by taking it within herself. She can endure a lot of it, but it all takes its toll eventually. All of the Oracles have died well before a typical human would have." Etro mused. "The same goes for the Kings of Lucis, the magic draining their life force."

"Why are you telling me this?" Andromeda demanded. She had been waiting for so long to see the goddess again, in hopes of getting some answers. But now that it had finally happened, she felt angry that her life had turned out like this, and Etro continued to talk about people Andromeda didn't care about.

Her smile never wavered, and her light remained steady. "Because your powers do not take such a toll. Your actions will decide your demise. Whether it is a good or bad one, is up to you."

Why she told Andromeda this didn't make much sense to her either. She shook her head. "Why give me such terrible power?"

"It only frightens you because you haven't tried to understand it yet. Then it may become a thing of beauty." Etro chided. "My blessing affects everyone differently, based on who they are. You have the potential for wanton destruction, and for healing."

"Like the Oracle does?"

"Not quite." The goddess held out her hand, revealing a small, opaque crystal. "Take this. Taking the Starscourge into yourself will only kill you. But you will be safe if you channel it into these crystals."

Andromeda approached slowly, taking the small crystal and looking it over. It fit in the palm of her hand. It couldn't hold that much. "How do I do that?"

"You must learn that for yourself."

"Why don't you just get rid of the Starscourge altogether?" Andromeda looked up at the goddess, and noticed that she was dimming.

"It is more than one god can handle. Even gods have to follow some rules. Remember to cleanse the crystal in sunlight." Etro's voice became more distant as she continued to fade, soon flickering out completely.

When Andromeda awoke, the crystal was still in her hand.

* * *

Despite the crystal, she didn't feel any more assured about her powers, and certainly didn't know how she could heal people. They had the Oracle for that, their sickness slowly killing her over time.

With strange dreams and the occasional burst of dark power, the summer flew by. Ian and Michael left to stay with their own families for the winter, and to return to school. Trevor and Andromeda were both surprised when Sheila announced that she had found a legitimate online high school for Andromeda, one that complied with national standards. She understood, without having to be told, that Andromeda couldn't go back to the city. She certainly hadn't been in contact with her aunt to see if there was even a place to stay.

There had been a few phone calls from the city throughout the summer for Andromeda, the first coming shortly after she had arrived to the farm. Having a feeling that it was Linda, she had refused to take any of the calls. The last call came shortly before snow began falling. That was the last that anyone tried to contact her.

She was more than happy to stay on the farm for the winter, participating in an online high school that was quite popular among the sparse populations outside of Insomnia. To cover the tuition cost, it was agreed that Andromeda would no longer be paid for her work on the farm. She did find herself missing the feeling of being surrounded by her classmates. She wondered how Hira took her disappearance, and if she was angry at her for it.

* * *

The school year passed uneventfully. The frequency of chaotic incidents decreased as Andromeda began to feel safe and far away from trouble. She briefly tried to dream walk on purpose, to reach out to Hira, but never found her. Perhaps she was too far away. In any case, dreams were private; it didn't feel right to peek into another person's head.

As it was, strange dreams were becoming normal. With the start of summer work again, Andromeda should have been too tired to dream. But she saw Ian, who hadn't returned to the farm this year, crouched somewhere dark. There were dark splotches on his face. She awoke before anyone else, a little bit before dawn. Despite the danger, Andromeda left the house, following the strong feeling that the dream left her with.

The strong feeling led her deep into the woods. Dawn had broken long before she spotted an abandoned shed used for sapping. She was beyond late for chores; as she reached the door, she observed how high the sun was already. It was already mid-morning.

It felt silly, but Andromeda knocked before entering, the lock on the door having disappeared a long time ago. The shed looked cleaned out of its previous operations, but there was a crumpled form in the corner.

"Ian?" She entered to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. She recognized the long limbs and dusty blond hair.

He gave a groan and spat. "What are you doing here?"

They had never gotten close. Ian had been determined to not like Andromeda, for some reason. It didn't really matter; he finished school, and like many boys his age, had gone off to become a hunter. It appeared that he was off to a poor start.

"I had a hunch." Andromeda admitted, approaching him.

"Get out."

In front of him now, she saw that the dark splotches—which were really there—couldn't be bruises. "What happened to your face?"

"It's Starscourge—not that a dumb city girl would know that. Nothing can fix it. Scram before you catch it." Ian turned to face the wall in an attempt to hide the infected side of his face.

As much as they didn't care for each other, Andromeda frowned. She didn't like the idea of him giving up and waiting to turn into one of the monsters that prowled in the night. It was easy to see them as simply monsters; most people forgot that they had once been humans like them.

She absentmindedly grasped the small crystal she kept in her pocket, having the developed the habit of handling it as she thought. Andromeda pulled it out and looked at it, then glanced at Ian. He continued to face the corner, waiting for her to give up and leave. Remembering Etro's words, she instead thought to try something.

"Look at me," She crouched down in front of him.

"Get lost."

Andromeda was beginning to lose patience. Grasping his chin, she forced him to turn his head towards her, revealing the dark splotches again. He was shocked.

"Don't touch it!"

"Shut up and let me focus."

Surprisingly, Ian stopped fighting back. Andromeda appreciated the silence as she focused on the Starscourge, and the crystal in her other hand. One was supposed to go to the other, somehow. Was it just a matter of her will?

The shadows seeped down Ian's face and into her hand. She was surprised at the weighted feeling of it, quickly willing it to the waiting crystal before it could settle and infect her. The darkness traveled up one arm and down the other. It was absorbed into the crystal, turning it black.

With the Starscourge contained, Andromeda sat back, examining the changed crystal in her hand. For a small thing, it could hold a lot. Then again, the Starscourge hadn't had a lot of time to fester in Ian.

"How did you do that?" He touched his face carefully, then glanced at the black crystal. "Is that a magic stone?"

"No, you idiot. It's just a bit of quartz." Andromeda stuffed it into her pocket again.

"Only the Oracle can heal the Starscourge." He stated.

"Well, the Oracle is busy, so you got me instead." She didn't want to talk too much about what she just did. How would he even understand? "How long have you been out here?"

He was now sheepish. "A couple of days."

"Can you stand?"

Ian tried, using the wall to lift himself up. He tried to put weight on both feet first, but quickly lifted one foot. Andromeda moved to support him on that side. His ankle was probably broken, which explained why he had been stranded for a couple of days. She had had no idea that he had been missing.

"Where are we going?" Ian finally asked as they slowly made it to the door.

"Where else? Sheila can fix you up." Andromeda offered. Though at their pace, they would be lucky of they made it to the farm by sundown.

Having missed breakfast, she was starving. Ian was clearly worse off; whatever rations he had packed for his hunt were long gone, and he hadn't been able to get water. He staggered out into the sunlight. Andromeda tried to make him pick up the pace, but he only slowed her down.

The trail had been clear when she came up it; if they were lucky, it would remain so for the afternoon. Any hostile animals were thankfully somewhere else.

"Was it a daemon you were hunting?" She asked. She hadn't heard of any hunts nearby. The hunters on the farm would have acted on it.

"Yeah." Ian answered simply.

"I thought only higher-up hunters were the only ones who could hunt those."

"Yeah." He repeated, head hanging low.

They muddled on in silence for a long while. The sun was high in the sky, probably the highest point. It was already noon.

Andromeda spoke again when she thought they were halfway back. "Hey um, don't tell others about what I did with the crystal and the Scourge."

Ian just grunted. She didn't know what he meant by that, but didn't ask for an explanation. Instead she focused on the trail, and getting them to the farm by sunset. Hopefully Sheila had a big dinner planned.

It wasn't much longer before they encountered another person on the trail—a hunter. She rushed towards them as Andromeda and Ian stopped where they were.

"Are you two hurt?" The hunter asked, looking them both over.

"I'm not, he is." Andromeda replied.

"Wait here. I'll go get help." The hunter turned and went down the trail.

Andromeda let go of Ian and he sunk down to the ground, using a tree to support his back. She took a seat beside him and waited as they were told to do. Her shoulders and legs ached, but she tried not to show it.

Two hunters came back a little later, pulling a cart along behind them. They hefted Ian into it without Andromeda's help. She walked beside them all the way back to the farm.

They went straight to the kitchen, as was normal when hunters had an injury they couldn't take care of themselves. Ian's injured ankle was propped up on a stool as he sat at the kitchen table. He and Andromeda were both given water, which quickly disappeared.

"Where have you been?" Sheila asked her. Her attention turned from Ian to Andromeda and back again. It was as if she was unsure what to think.

"I went on a hike before chores. And then I found him." Andromeda explained. It didn't even sound believable to her.

"You've been gone all day." Trevor pointed out. He had come to the kitchen when he saw the hunters returning. His tone didn't sound too angry—she had returned, after all, and with a friend in need.

"Never mind that." Sheila waved it off, taking a look at Ian's ankle. It was twice the size of his other one. "Andrea, help me with this."

Together the two women set the ankle right again, earning a yelp from Ian. Sheila found some straight sticks to use as splints and wrapped the ankle tightly. She then gave them some food and more water. When those were gone, she shooed them out of the kitchen to get washed up and rest. It wasn't long after that before dinner was ready.

* * *

Everyone was more than happy to see Ian again, although his head hung low in defeat. Sheila took care of him for the next two days until his mother came to take him home. He never said a word about what Andromeda had really done in the abandoned shed. Andromeda didn't explain herself much more to Trevor and Michael, but she and Sheila—and now Ian—knew there was more to it than that.

Before starting the day's chores the following day, Andromeda went on another walk into the woods. She walked until she found a sunny spot, then deposited the small black quartz in the middle of it. She waited awhile to see if it would turn clear again, but nothing happened for several minutes. Knowing that she had to get back, she left it there. She returned the next morning to see it had cleared again.

The summer work continued. Having success with one power, she became curious about the other two. There wasn't much she could do for dream walking: she didn't know who to reach out to, and didn't want to invade the privacy of others. But for the other, more chaotic power, Andromeda paid more attention to it. If she was alone and it began to happen, she focused on it, trying to command it. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time her focus just added more energy into it. The outbursts depended on her emotions—if she ever became upset about something—and as time passed, she put Insomnia and her aunt behind her. She couldn't control what happened in the episodes, but she began to have better control of when they happened.

* * *

Summer passed into Andromeda's final year of school. She had been told that the final year was very relaxed, but she found hers to be intense with advanced placement courses. She hadn't had any say over her schedule; the school administration assigned her classes based on her grades, regardless whether she was going to college or not. Why would she? What university could she go to?

Andromeda didn't have much of a plan after high school. She assumed she could stay on the farm and work, perhaps finally earn an income so she could buy her own clothes. Sheila and Trevor's daughter-in-law had given her a bunch of hand-me-downs. She didn't own much besides that. It wasn't so bad, but she never had spending money when she went into town.

There was a small celebration when the school year was over, including a day at the chocobo ranch. Then the summer work began all over again. This time, though, she also took the time to get her driver's license. She didn't plan on going anywhere, but everyone agreed it was useful.

The summer still passed as quickly as if there was schoolwork to get back to, but Andromeda had nothing to anticipate. Everyone else seemed to expect something more for her, though. To her surprise, Trevor was disappointed that she was staying on the farm, especially with such good grades in school. But she continued to insist that she would not go to college.

* * *

Andromeda no longer missed an opportunity to go into town now that she had her driver's license. When Sheila mentioned she had errands to run in town, she picked Andromeda to drive her. Driving hadn't yet lost its luster on her.

The errands didn't take that long, and they could have been done by one person. While Sheila took too long while shopping, Andromeda's attention drifted down the street. Some sort of display was getting plenty of attention from the locals. She mentioned it to Sheila before making her way to it for a closer look.

Even before she got too close, Andromeda could hear the chirps and croaks. The gaggle of children observing the caged frogs moved on, determined to find more frogs just like those. A woman standing next to the display waved after them. Then she noticed Andromeda approach the cages.

"Hey there." She smiled. "Any of these critters look familiar to you?"

Andromeda nodded cautiously, slightly taken aback by the woman's forwardness. "I've seen a couple of them on my hikes. I've seen that marbled salamander at one of the ponds east of here."

"Really? Most people have never seen them before." The woman was all the more interested. "Of course, that's because they don't know how to look. You must have sharp eyes. What's your name?"

"Andrea." Andromeda always hesitated before answering, just to make sure she gave the correct one.

Someone came up next to Andromeda. She turned to see Sheila had finished her errands. She looked at the cages briefly before facing the owner.

"You must be Sania Yeagre." She smiled. "I hear about you every now and then on the radio."

"Yup, that's me." The other woman laughed. "I hear that one a lot. I'm the lady with the frogs. I was just complimenting your daughter on her sharp eyes for these croakers."

Sheila grinned. "She's _like_ a daughter to me, but she's not mine. Andrea is a backwoods girl through and through. She's also good at finding wild plants."

"I could use a backwoods girl for a research assistant." Sania said. "Most of the students that come out of the city can't tell me the difference between a Douglas fir and a redwood! Are you in school?"

"No." Andromeda shook her head. She actually felt disappointed that she wasn't. Sania seemed to share that feeling.

"Well, that's a shame. You seem like a bright young woman."

"She had top grades all through high school." Sheila piped up.

Andromeda flushed a little. "I would go, but I don't want to go all the way to Insomnia for college. And it's too late to apply now."

"You don't have to go to Insomnia." Sania explained. "The University of Lucis has outreach programs in Lestallum, including the environmental science program that I'm involved in."

"It's the kind of program Michael is going for." Sheila commented to Andromeda, giving her side a little nudge.

"If you play your cards right, you don't have to go to the city at all." Sania winked. "I can pull some strings to get you in this fall. But only if you promise me that in two years' time, you'll apply to be my research assistant."

It was a lot to take in: from Sania's forwardness, the amount of information she just dumped onto Andromeda, and the idea of applying to college even though the deadline was long passed. Andromeda glanced between the two older women, who waited for a reply with bated breath.

"Okay." She finally said. Sheila pulled her into a tight hug.

"Here's my card." Sania offered a small slip of paper to Andromeda. She took it, still overwhelmed.

Sheila drove them back to the farm as Andromeda wrapped her head around what she had just agreed to.


	8. Part 2:1

Michael stopped his car on the shoulder of the road. Andromeda looked at the sun approaching the horizon and frowned.

"Why are we stopping here? We're going to be late." She moved her feet out of the way as he reached into the back seat and pulled a bag of spray cans off of the floor.

"We won't be that long. C'mon. Let's have some real fun." He flashed a grin before stepping outside. Andromeda and his girlfriend followed.

They hopped over the guard rail and marched towards a square concrete building not far from the road. Since leaving the farm for college in Lestallum, Andromeda had become much more aware of Niflheim's bases in the landscape. There was the occasional aircraft or caravan spotted, but that was the extent of their participation in the area. Their presence was no less menacing, though.

Andromeda had waited until the last moment before applying for college. She only did it because she wanted to work with Sania Yeagre, the professor who urged her to attend college because she wanted Andromeda as an assistant. Having finished the two-year degree at the university outreach in Lestallum, she would be able to do much more field work in her next one. It was more than likely that Sania would be supervising her work.

As much as Andromeda had wanted to stay on the farm and continue working, she had to admit she was glad to travel some of Lucis. Staying in one place would have gotten boring quickly. Her education in forestry promised a lot of travel like this. It also meant a lot of time spent in forests, rather than urban sprawls.

Michael, who had also attended college in Lestallum along with Andromeda, led the girls to one of the walls of the military base. She had never been this close to one, and didn't want to be. She glanced up to see if anyone was watching. This side seemed unguarded.

"Here," He handed her a green spray can from the bag. He chose a red one for himself and began to create a typical phallic symbol on the concrete wall. His girlfriend used black spray paint, although Andromeda couldn't tell what she was making.

She watched them for a long moment as they painted. She had never participated in any deviant behavior. She always had to be on her best behavior, lest she get caught and raise suspicions. And yet, it looked fun. Wasn't it Niflheim's fault that Andromeda's life had been turned so upside down in the first place? Between that thought and the excitement of doing something bad, she shook her spray can and began creating a four-leaf clover.

For awhile, it seemed as though they were going to get away with it, which only encouraged them more. Even Andromeda forgot their dinner plans for their last night in Lestallum. She found that toeing the line was some of the most fun she had had in a long while.

They stayed long enough that the line was crossed. Sirens suddenly blared from the base. The three of them dropped their spray cans where they were and began running. Magitek troopers had already appeared in orderly fashion from the front of the base. They then began running after them.

The soldiers quickly caught up to the three humans. Andromeda felt her blood run cold, remembering the mechanical soldiers in Tenebrae, standing at attention so listlessly. They had such simple faces, with terrifying glowing eyes and a small, soft smile. Yet they pursued their targets so brutally.

They were suddenly on top of all three of them. Andromeda fell to the ground after a weight pushed her down; Michael and his girlfriend were also pinned down by soldiers. With two soldiers to each person, they were pulled back up to their feet, restrained. They began marching back to the base.

Andromeda felt panic well up in her. While her papers had been acceptable to Lucian authorities, she had no idea if they would hold up with Niflheim. They would be much harsher in punishment than the local law enforcement. The locals didn't care that Niflheim was in charge, but they made a point to stay out of their way.

She felt the shadows before she saw them. Her fear turned to anger. For the first time, she was truly glad that her awful powers were manifesting themselves.

Despite the presence of the sun, the shadows appeared as tendrils, swiping away several of the soldiers. Those that were holding the humans were suddenly run through by other shadows. The soldiers all let out screams, but they didn't deter Andromeda. The surrounding area had become very dark.

"Andrea!" Michael yelled over the din of screams and wind. He and his girlfriend had stood and scurried as far from the soldiers as they could.

"Go! Get to the car!" Andromeda ordered. They looked at their darkened surroundings in terror. There was no mistaking where it came from.

They took off a moment later, as most of the soldiers began to rise again. She should have followed them; any other time, she would have run from her own powers, as if they didn't chase after her. This time, though, she wasn't afraid of them. Because of that, they seemed even stronger, and she felt in control.

Andromeda willed the shadows to knock back the approaching soldiers, and they did just that, forming a wave to shove them back to the ground. There was a loud crack as a nearby tree suddenly fell onto the soldiers, crushing them. A couple of soldiers had gotten behind her; they were quickly dispatched by a shadowy tendril, their heads severed.

She surveyed the fallen troop briefly, then ducked out of the way as a severed mechanical arm flew past her. Andromeda wasn't in complete control of these shadows. It was time to run, but they weren't finished yet.

Just as she turned towards the road, something punctured her back. She let out her own scream, clawing at the strange hook latched in her skin. The shadows dissipated, and the wind calmed. More Magitek troopers had come from the base.

Andromeda's frantic clawing did nothing as a soldier held the hook mechanism. She suddenly felt drained; her powers must have taken a lot out of her, for as much as she did. Her knees felt weak. Though she fought it, she lost consciousness.

* * *

The pain in her back had dulled when she awoke in a small gray room. Aside from the stiff bed that she had been placed on, there was a small toilet and sink. It was almost a stereotypical prison cell, except the door had a small port window at eye-level. Andromeda stumbled to her feet and tried to peer outside the room, but the hallway outside was dark. She backed away and tried to summon up her powers again, but nothing happened. She still felt drained from last time.

It was then that she noticed a weight on her neck. Andromeda reached up and touched a plastic frame circling her neck, a small box on the right side. When she fumbled with it in an attempt to take it off, it gave her a sharp shock, bringing her to her knees. Someone had placed a shock collar on her. She wondered if it also took away her powers somehow.

With no way of escaping, Andromeda could only sit and wait for someone to come. She didn't know how long she had been out, what time it was, or even where she was. She could assume she was inside of the Imperial base now, but the rest was a mystery. She considered trying to dream walk, yet knew better than to expect it to work. It would be a good time for Etro to visit Andromeda and tell her what to do. The goddess probably couldn't reach her now.

It was a very long time before anything happened. She spent it by going over how she would explain herself. There was no doubt that someone had seen her powers, or else she wouldn't be wearing a collar at the moment. No answer would not be acceptable, but yet the truth wasn't believable. It wasn't something that Andromeda could prove. No matter what she said, she was their prisoner now. She would not be returning to college, or the farm.

The whole room dipped to one side, catching her off-guard. She gripped the bed to keep herself from falling over. The room soon became level again, and the door opened not long after that.

A man—a human just like Andromeda—stepped in, his bulky, elaborate armor making him look bigger than he really was. She expected him to start talking to her, but he only pulled her up to her feet and handcuffed her. He pushed her out into the hall, where two Magitek troopers stood. They each grabbed one of her arms, then followed the officer's lead.

The hallway led down into a small warehouse of sorts, and then down a ramp and out into a snowy yard. Andromeda looked back to see that she had been on an airship. The frigid air and blinding snow only added to the fact that she was far away from Lucis.

They continued walking for a while, entering a large building and ascending in an elevator, and then walking through the cold steel hallways of some upper level. The officer brought her to a dark room, removed the handcuffs and shoved Andromeda inside. The door was quickly shut behind her. Regardless, she was thankful to be away from the three of them.

It wasn't another prison cell; as her eyes adjusted to the lighting, she realized that she was in a study of sorts, a place she had only heard about. There was still no window, but there were at least some paintings on the dark paneled walls. Andromeda continued to stand, gravitating towards a bookshelf away from the two doors in one corner of the room. There was a meal waiting on a dining table. Its aroma made her realize how hungry she was. But she was too on edge to eat. Someone else would probably be joining her soon.

Soon was taking a long time to arrive. Or perhaps it was Andromeda's anxiety that made it seem as if time was passing too slowly. She tried to read the spines of the books, but a lot of them were in Imperial script. She couldn't get herself to focus on them. At some point, her hunger overcame her stubbornness. She sat at the table, and the food was quickly gone. It was rather bland, but at least it was warm. Then she resumed waiting, fingering the collar on her neck. She was zapped a couple more times by it.

At last, the door opened again. An old, portly man walked in, his attire just as detailed as the previous officer, but complete with a cape. The Niflheim military seemed to always dress as if they were going to some royal event. Andromeda didn't see the point. Her heart sank as he took a seat at the head of the table, not far from where she was seated. As much as she had wanted something to happen, she hadn't wanted it to be a conversation.

"You are quite peculiar, Miss Hulda." He cracked a smile. She found the table much more interesting to look at.

He had used her fake name. It was a wonder that Andromeda still remembered her true identity, for how accustom she was to being referred to as "Andrea". She had more invested in her identity as Andrea, but she was relieved that no one knew who she really was: the girl who escaped Niflheim's troops in Tenebrae. As Andrea, she had everything to lose—as she sat here, it was already gone. Andromeda had nothing to lose because it had been gone long ago, but there was hope she could regain it again.

"There's no need to be ashamed. We don't mean to punish you. You aren't the first person to vandalize one of our bases." Her silence amused this man. His croaking voice didn't make her want to cooperate any more than she was being forced to. "Though none of the others had your abilities. Our sources tell us that you are not part of the Kingsglaive."

Andromeda had to wonder what those sources were. Then again, she didn't want to be involved at all. It was a relief to never have seen the Kingsglaive since they had come after her a few years ago; they must have conceded that she wasn't worth the time. They hadn't seen what she could do.

"So how have you come to have such powers?" This man hadn't taken the hint yet. He was determined to get something out of her. "Perhaps that collar has stolen your voice."

He reached across the table for her neck. Andromeda suddenly stood, her aunt's memory of assault at the front of her mind. Her chair fell over loudly, which only startled her more. The man stood as well, never losing his amusement of her.

"Where do you think you can go? We are both locked in here." He smirked, moving around the table to get closer to her again. Andromeda held her breath.

In one small touch from him, the collar released its grip, falling into his hand. He stepped away from her with a quick look of exasperation.

Before he could speak again, the room became even darker as Andromeda summoned her powers, eager to be released. Shadows flitted about. The chairs flew away from the table. The large wooden table suddenly lifted and threw itself at the man, pinning him against the wall.

Shutting him up was all well and good, but it didn't get Andromeda out of the room. The doors were banged on, as if something was trying to break out, but as the creepy man had said, they were locked tight. She approached one of the doors, waiting for help to arrive.

It was not a long wait before the doors burst open and a mix of human and robots stormed into the chaos. They did not anticipate Andromeda being so close to the door, and she managed to sneak out of the room. She fled down the hall with no idea of where to go, the shadows and their chaos all around her.

Her escape didn't last long at all before she was slammed into the floor. She was shocked in the side. The Magitek trooper let go of her then, but before she could recover, the collar was around her neck again and her arms were bound. The shadows dissipated immediately, and everything fell still.

As Andromeda was pulled to her feet by two men, the man approached, still seemingly amused despite the escape attempt. The table hadn't appear to have hurt him.

"Fascinating!" He grinned. "You wield such incredible power. But until you learn to be civil, I'm afraid the collar must stay on."

He turned away, giving a curt order for everyone to return to work. Two Magitek troopers took hold of Andromeda again as he led the way down the hall, now littered with debris and fallen weapons. The humans slowly returned to their work, watching her as she was escorted by.

They did not return to the dark study, presumably because Andromeda had made such a mess. They kept walking for some time. She looked from side to side as they passed various rooms, but few doors were open. Aside from human workers, Magitek troopers, and computers, the open rooms did not hold any significance. It didn't tell her what they did here, but she had a bad feeling about it.

She was led to a smaller room, empty except for a table and two chairs. This was more of what Andromeda expected from Niflheim. The troopers released their grips on her once she was through the door. They continued to block the exit. The man uncuffed her hands, then stood and waited at the table. With no way out, Andromeda slid into the only other chair.

He took his seat as well once she had submitted. "I'll ask again: why do you have this power?"

She got the impression from his tone, and the new, colder room, that silence was no long acceptable. She looked down at the table again. "I don't know."

Her first words here caused him to eye her skeptically. "You lie."

"I don't know! It just started happening one day." Andromeda threw her hands up defensively. She had been warned it would, but hadn't known how terrifying it would be. Just as she was gaining confidence with her power, she now had a new reason to fear it.

The man frowned at her as he sat back. Before he could accuse her of more lying, there was a knock at the door. The troopers moved aside as it opened and a younger man walked in. He handed a portfolio to his commanding officer, then scurried out before his interruption could be punished.

The portfolio was more interesting than Andromeda. She waited as the old man leafed through whatever it was. Soon something caused him to raise his eyebrows, and he put it in front of her.

The top of the paper was marked confidential. Below was the last school picture she had had taken in Insomnia, five years ago. She looked older now than she had been in the photo, but anyone could see they were the same person. Various characteristics were listed below the photo, as well as last known whereabouts and suspected location. Above the photo were the big, red words: "WANTED FOR QUESTIONING".

Andromeda hadn't expected this to come up, but she should have. If this man already knew she wasn't part of the Kingsglaive, then that meant he had spies in Insomnia. Of course they would dig this up while searching for her fake name. She had to remind herself it would be much worse if they somehow knew she had escaped Tenebrae.

"Would this be that day?" The man asked, his smirk returned.

As frightening the situation was, Andromeda had to glare at him. "That's none of your business."

It was an incredibly stupid thing to say. It seemed to answer his question. His gaze returned to the portfolio. "It says here you were made prime suspect after the victim claimed you wielded supernatural powers and caused the fire that mutilated him. Your aunt sent you away, then later gave the authorities your location. And yet, here you are."

"Why are you telling me things I already know?" Andromeda snapped, her nails biting into the heels of her hands. She was still afraid, but her anger overruled her fear. This man was toying with her; if he continued to reveal that he knew everything about her life, then she would be compelled to tell him the truth of her powers. She understood his game and wouldn't play. "What do you want?"

Another stupid thing to say. He set the portfolio down on the table, finished with it. "Answers. I already asked my question. Don't make me ask a third time."

"I told you I don't know."

"You will tell me eventually." The man vowed. "In the meantime, another question: how did you evade the Lucian authorities?"

Andromeda let her front slip. It wasn't getting her out of here. At least she hadn't been the one to ask a stupid question this time. "It's obvious. When the Glaives did come, your troops chased them back to the city. I was beyond their jurisdiction."

"I see." He pondered her. "Where were you born?"

"Old Lestallum." The answer came quick; Andromeda had the basics of her backstory memorized for years.

"What of your parents?"

That caught her by surprise. No one had bothered to ask about them, once they knew about her living aunt. "What about them? They're dead."

"How did they die?"

It wasn't something people usually asked, and it wasn't something that had a cover story to it. Andromeda's shoulders slumped as she had to think of a quick answer. "They died in a fire."

"Were you in that fire as well?"

"Yes." She answered reluctantly.

She wanted to scream that he had killed her parents. It wasn't some accident like she had to pretend it was. Her father had been killed by one of those Magitek troopers. Her mother and grandmother had been in the house with her when it was bombed. Everything in her life that had brought her to this moment was because of Niflheim. "After I recovered, my aunt and I went to Insomnia so she could find work."

And like that, the story was made complete again, the loop hole tied up nicely. Andromeda waited for the next question, although she was tired of them.

"Interesting." The man mused to himself. She couldn't decide if it was better or worse than the usual condolences.

He suddenly stood from his seat. "Let's take a break. Perhaps you will consider my other question and give the correct answer next time."

Andromeda stood as well, muttering. "I wouldn't count on it."

He did not put the handcuffs back on her. Instead, he approached and took the collar off. "I trust by now you have learned to not attempt escape. Your powers are not something to be hindered."

He then approached the door. It opened again, revealing a lab assistant waiting outside.

"Show her to her room." The man instructed.

"Yes, sir."

He then turned to Andromeda once more. "I hope our arrangements are amenable to you."

She didn't bother to respond, approaching the lab assistant. Neither one of them seemed bothered that she wasn't restrained in any way. Andromeda didn't understand what it meant.

The door closed behind her. Not even the Magitek troopers followed. She walked behind the lab assistant as she was led around again.

"So," Andromeda decided to prod the lab assistant with a question. "What's his deal?"

She was less than amused by it. "Chief Besithia? He's only the chief researcher of the Imperial Army."

So they had taken her all the way to Niflheim. Andromeda must have been unconscious for a long time during the trip. It was the last place on the whole planet that she wanted to be.

"What does he research?" She tried another question.

"It's confidential. Here's your room."

Andromeda had expected to be placed in another prison cell, like the one on the airship. Instead, she was taken to an actual bedroom, with a private bathroom. Aside from that and the bed, there wasn't much else to the room. It was modest, but more comfortable than she expected.

The lab assistant offered a strange card. "You may roam freely, but this card only has entry-level clearance. It'll only get you into the library and Chief Besithia's study. Because we are so remote, there is no cable, and internet access is restricted to personnel only."

Andromeda took the card, although it didn't sound like it would do any good. The lab assistant left at that, closing the door behind her. Andromeda noticed that she didn't lock it. She locked it herself.

* * *

Despite the keycard, she stayed put in the room. She didn't think wandering in a place she didn't know was a good idea—it would lead to more trouble than she was already in. Either she would not get answers to her questions, or they would ask her questions that she didn't want to answer. It was better to sit in the room until she was summoned again. Besides, Andromeda didn't know how long it had been since she had last showered.

The spare clothes that had been left for her were just simple pants and a sweater, which she didn't mind. She also found her wallet and her small piece of quartz among them. She hadn't noticed they had been taken from her, but it made sense why they would be.

Ever since healing Ian of the Starscourge, Andromeda always kept the bit of quartz on hand. She hadn't used it since then, though. It was becoming more of a worry stone for her. As she sat and waited for something to happen, she played with it in her hand. It brought little comfort.

It had been late in the afternoon when Andromeda had been brought to the room. Early in the evening, someone dropped off a tray of food. By then, she had gotten hungry again. She didn't even mind that the food was bland. Afterwards, she decided to try some dreamwalking. As far as she knew, no doors could stop her then. It suddenly no longer bothered her to think that she could be invading someone else's privacy.

Etro had told her long ago to practice her powers. Andromeda had made a point to do that with her dreamwalking because there were so few consequences. She was lax about her shadowy powers; however, now it seemed like she had some control over it. She just had to stop being afraid of it.

Thinking of the goddess, she considered trying to reach her now. Her past attempts hadn't worked in the last couple of years, though. After telling Andromeda how to use quartz, Etro seemed to have vanished, just as she had years before in Insomnia. Even if her guidance was not easy to understand, it would have been some form of encouragement.

With no one to contact for help, Andromeda kept her focus within the compound. She could rarely wander the physical world in her dreams—it was something she was beginning to dabble with, but it seemed impossible to accomplish. Her focus began out in the hallway. Within a few seconds, it became fuzzy as something else seemed to call to her. She lost focus completely, being pulled deeper underground, into the darker levels.

Andromeda couldn't see anything. Whoever was dreaming did not see anything either. The noise they made was like an ongoing wail, strained with something else. It sounded like the far-off screeching of a daemon, something she used to hear at night at the farm. There was nothing to see, but the dreamer's feelings were overwhelming: fear and agony.

As much as Andromeda tried to free herself from the dream, she was stuck. Something kept her there. No one had latched onto her like this; no one had ever acknowledged her in their dreams before. She had never been summoned, or caught. The emotions intensified as the sound of daemons multiplied and came closer. The wailing human was drowned out.

Then finally, she broke free, returning to her body and waking with a start. She stumbled out of bed and checked herself over for dark spots. There weren't any, of course. Andromeda felt stupid for thinking that daemons could attack her in her dreams. Then again, they hadn't been present in dreams before.

The clock read that it was 2 AM. She sighed, getting back in bed to get some real sleep. There was no telling what Besithia would have planned for her in a few hours.

* * *

Breakfast arrived early. Not long after that, a lab assistant came to escort Andromeda to a large open room, where Besithia was waiting for her in front of a piece of artwork. This was the last place she expected to see art, and yet there were a few large pieces on the wall. She also hadn't expected Besithia to enjoy art, but it had his attention.

Once he sent his assistant away, he turned to Andromeda with that smirk that she hated. "Tell me, Andrea. What do you know of the prophecy?"

"What prophecy?" She looked up at the painting. A man knelt in the center, holding up a sword. Others surrounded him. Below were creatures—probably daemons—and above was some sort of angel. She frowned. Etro had once mentioned a prophecy; perhaps it was this one. This didn't seem like the kind of thing a scientist would be interested in. "I've never seen that before."

"I suppose you wouldn't." Besithia muttered to himself. "There is no place for you in it."

"Then why ask me about something I couldn't possibly know about?" Andromeda demanded. His questions were very trying. She had questions of her own. "What are your plans for me?"

"That remains to be seen once you have told me where your powers come from." Besithia stated grimly. "There is no record of the fire you described, nor of your parents."

"Maybe you didn't look hard enough." Andromeda mumbled, crossing her arms. "What's so interesting about this prophecy? It looks foolish to me."

His amusement returned. "My dear, it matters all the world! Have you not heard of it? The chosen king will come to rid the world of darkness. It's one of the more popular legends."

"Legends are just that. It's just a story."

Besithia observed her for a moment. "What are your thoughts on the Six?"

"I'm not much of a believer." Andromeda lied again. The Six, or at least Bahamut, were not fond of her. She wouldn't bring up Etro, a goddess that few knew about. Besithia only seemed interested in one legend.

"I suggest you reconsider your beliefs." He chuckled.

"Is that a threat?" She had noticed that the Nifs here had an odd way of trying to be polite, but sounding quite rude anyway.

"Not at all. One is not simply born with powers like yours. Either a god has bestowed them upon you, or you are lying about your parentage." Besithia explained. "Which is it?"

"Neither."

"You have nothing to fear from me. I am simply curious. The Lucians would have you snuffed out for impersonating their monarch's powers. I wish to understand it." He offered. "You should feel honored to have such gifts."

"I didn't ask for them." Andromeda clarified. He was delusional. "And I'm not part of some prophecy. My parents died in the fire like I said, and I ended up killing someone with these powers. There is no honor to be had."

Her answer didn't deter him. He began walking away. She didn't have to be told to follow.

"Wanted or not, you have control, and that is most important. It would be a shame to have to restrain you the whole time." He went on. "Think of what you can achieve with such power! The Empire can assure your greatness."

Andromeda scowled. The Empire had wronged her in more ways than he knew. "And if I continue to refuse? You'll kill me just as you believe the Lucians would. You aren't so different from each other."

"We have other methods. You have only one choice in the matter. Choose wisely." Besithia turned to face her once they had reached a door. The whole place was a maze of hallways and doors. "For now, I leave you with some of my assistants."

He opened the door. Andromeda walked in wordlessly, and the door was shut behind her.

* * *

She didn't stay long with his assistants. They wanted her blood to "check on some things". Andromeda didn't have a choice in the matter, letting them take all that they wanted. They took quite a few vials, then shooed her away, assuming she knew her way around by now.

Andromeda wandered for awhile, mostly because she was lost. She tried using her keycard at the elevators and stairways, but was rejected at all of them. She could neither go up or down to other floors. The previous night's experience made her believe that there was something hidden below, underneath all of the daemon screams. It was probably for the best that Andromeda couldn't go to the lower levels to find out.

She did find the library. Most of the books were in Imperial script, and the ones that weren't looked incredibly boring. They wouldn't tell her anything pertinent to her situation. She didn't stay long, finding her way back to her room. Lunch was already waiting. After that, she tried dreamwalking again, having a better idea of the compound's layout.

Whether or not Andromeda knew the place better, she was quickly pulled underground to the mixed cries of daemons and something else. And just as the night before, they clung to her. She wanted to flee, but reminded herself that they couldn't hurt her here. In fact, as it was the first time she had heard daemons in dreams, she started to think that they weren't actually there. Their screams weren't any less frightening—for her nor for the dreamer.

For what seemed like a long time, Andromeda simply observed the emotions and screams, trying to make sense of what was going on. Then she was let go, slamming back into her body as there was a knock on the door.

It opened before she could answer, proving that it didn't matter if she locked the door. Andromeda stood from the bed, smoothing down her clothes and hair. The dream had left her exhausted.

It was another lab assistant. They all appeared to be the same, most likely due to their matching uniforms.

"Andrea, right?" She asked, although they probably all knew her name. "Come with me."

Andromeda thought about arguing it, but knew by now that she would end up following along anyway. As Besithia had warned, she really had no choice here.

She followed through the halls without a word. They were, for the most part, empty. Andromeda had gotten used to the sight of the occasional Magitek trooper, but now there weren't any around. Since coming here, it appeared that Besithia continued to lower his guard for her. For such a smart man, he was making a lot of stupid decisions.

The lab assistant led her to a large bay. It wasn't like the room from earlier, with the artwork and other pieces of lore for legends. There were some aisles used for storage, but the floor was mostly open. A large bay door took up most of one wall, but there were no vehicles currently parked there.

"When I leave, I want you to use all of your power. Let loose." The lab assistant began to instruct as they walked down some stairs and into the center of the room.

"What if I refuse?" Andromeda challenged.

"We'll make sure you won't." She was unfazed by any threat. "Keep it up for as long as you can."

She turned her back to leave. Andromeda glanced around. There was too much stuff that could get damaged. "What's the point?"

"To see your full potential." The lab assistant continued walking back to the stairs that led to the door.

Before she could reach it, Andromeda was already bringing her dark power to the surface. It hadn't been very far. To be honest, she was doing very well—having no accidents since coming here and having the restraints removed.

A large box flew off of a high shelf and slammed into the door, narrowly missing the lab assistant's head. She gave a yelp and ran up the last few steps. The lights started flickering as she frantically left.

Unleashing the shadows, Andromeda no longer felt exhausted from her short dreamwalk session. She felt angry for a lot of reasons: being captured, the questions, the lack of answers, the accusations (which were almost true), and how everything she had ever had was now gone—all because of a reckless bout of deviance.

Some lights gave out completely, glass showering the floor below. Others managed to stay lit, flickering out occasionally. The large metal scaffolding creaked and groaned. Plenty of stuff fell or flew out of place, banging into the walls and other things. A wind picked up from nowhere in particular, as it always seemed to do when it got this bad. It seemed to carry whispers, although Andromeda was alone. There were banging sounds that she couldn't tell where or what they were. She dodged here and there as things flew in her general direction.

She hadn't let it get this intense since being captured, and before then, only when the Kingsglaive tried to capture her. All other episodes were less intense. Odd little hiccups that she would convince others were mere coincidences. It would be a flickering light, or a picture falling off of the wall. Never so much at once.

As much as Andromeda wanted to let loose as she was advised, she didn't want to show her full potential—whatever that was—to Besithia, or anyone. It would be best if they didn't know; it would give her an edge over them, when they had so many over her. But as she calmed and tried to will it to stop, it only continued. The maelstrom continued to feed off of her, intensifying and expanding well beyond her vision. It would probably go on until it brought the whole compound down on her head. Andromeda didn't think it was a completely bad idea.

There was another shattering of glass, much louder than the pop of the lights had been. She simply observed it now with some disappointment. When she had first attacked the Magitek troopers, it seemed as though she had control, willing things to happen. At the beginning of this episode, she had some control as she willed something to hit the other woman in the head. Now, the shadows did as they willed, growing more powerful the longer it went on. The storage bay grew darker.

One of the scaffoldings was finally pushed over, giving a long screech before crashing into another and causing a domino effect of deafening crashes. Andromeda moved well away from it, and kept an eye on the next column.

Just as that crash settled, there was the nerve-wracking sound of metal scratching against metal, followed by another bang. Red lights appeared where the door used to be. They let out a cacophony of tinny screams—not too different from the screams of daemons.

They charged in, passing through some beams of light to show that they were Magitek troopers. Some ran, and some went down on all fours and lept at Andromeda. She ran for cover among the still standing scaffolding, even though that cover may collapse and squash her. It was still better than being killed by a robot.

The shadows managed to hit a few troopers with various things, but they kept popping back up, contorting their bodies as they did so. Despite the wreckage, there weren't many options for cover. Andromeda wasn't sure what she grabbed, except that it was long, hard and narrow. She swung it at a trooper's head just as it caught up to her. Its ceramic, vaguely serene face shattered, revealing a much more horrible face underneath.

Before it could attack her, a burst of pink light flew right into its chest. More zipped by, striking the other troopers making their way to Andromeda.

In the dim lights, she saw someone bulky walk forward. Fire erupted behind them, and a much larger figure appeared as the flames lit the room. Andromeda's eyes quickly adjusted to see it was a giant, horned and scantily-clad man with wild hair. The fire didn't bother him as he stood from it—perhaps because at least one leg and part of his abdomen looked charred. The brightness of the flames made it impossible to make out the details of the smaller, normal-sized figure standing in front of him.

Andromeda had long lost track of her own powers. As she watched the new figures, she was suddenly struck down.


	9. Part 2:2

At first, Andromeda didn't remember where she was when she woke up. She expected to be in Lestallum, and had to get ready for class. However, everything soon came back to her, reminding her just how terrible the situation was. She thought it was odd that she hadn't heard daemons in her sleep, then realized the collar was around her neck again.

There was a small plate of food and a glass of water on the table by the door. Whoever brought the food also left a bottle of aspirin. Andromeda didn't need it, focusing on the food instead. The clock told her it was late morning. Considering that it had been sometime in the afternoon that she had used her powers, she had slept for a long time.

She washed up in the bathroom afterwards, knowing that someone would be coming for her soon. For as little control as she had here, Andromeda could at least control how she appeared. If she could appear to be completely unaffected by what she had done the day before, it made her situation just a little better.

When she was ready, she tried the door, but found it was locked from the outside. Nothing she did on her side unlocked it. It wasn't long after Andromeda gave up that someone opened it anyway.

She followed the lab assistant wordlessly, knowing where they were going without listening to him. All doors that they passed were closed. Besithia's study looked untouched from her last episode there.

The lead scientist wasn't there, though. Instead, another man stood perusing the bookshelf, dressed in so many gaudy layers despite the central heating of the compound. It made it difficult to make any of his features out, but the gray outfit was memorable. Andromeda now thought that Besithia's outfit wasn't the most ridiculous one here.

Closing the book in his hand, the man turned to her. Despite all of the clothes, he didn't hide his face. He had the same kind of smirk that she hated.

"Awake at last, I see." He set the book down and began to approach. Andromeda stayed where she was by the door. She found that she preferred Besithia—he was right to the point, and could take the collar off of her neck.

"You put on quite the performance." He continued. There was something familiar about him. It irritated her that she couldn't figure it out immediately. "You really shook the place up. The finale was a little disappointing, though. You should watch your head."

Andromeda scowled as he stood in front of her. He was tall and intimidating, but she tried to not let it show. "Who are you supposed to be?"

With a flourishing wave, the man bowed before her. "Ardyn Izunia, Chancellor of Niflheim. But the question around here is: who are _you_ supposed to be?"

"I'm not anyone."

He shook his head. "No more lies. You're so terrible at it. Verstael finds out the truth one way or another."

It finally clicked in Andromeda's head who he was: the bulky figure who had stepped in to eliminate the Magitek troopers.

"You can summon one of the Six." She noted, crossing her arms. She did recall one of them being the god of fire.

"Verstael mentioned you weren't a believer." Ardyn was smug that she finally figured it out. "How ungrateful for someone with your power."

"It didn't come from a god." Andromeda lied. He wouldn't recognize Etro.

"Of course it did. I would know." He pointed out. "There's no need to be hostile. Why, we're kindred spirits!"

"Oh yeah? Then why do you have your powers?" She narrowed her eyes.

Ardyn was amused. "I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours."

She wouldn't, trying to think of a way to change the topic. Then the other door opened and Besithia entered, changing the topic for both of them.

A look of displeasure crossed his face as he saw the two conversing. Andromeda wondered if he disliked Ardyn just as much as she did, which would be ironic for how alike the two men were. She hated them both.

"You've recovered quickly," Verstael nodded towards her. "I had expected you to rest longer after expelling so much energy."

"You would know more than I would." Andromeda muttered, feeling the weight of the collar on her neck. Everyone had been watching her "performance". "Did you get what you wanted?"

"Yes, you did very good." He assured passively, further irritating her with his tone. "You must have excellent control over your power to not have been noticed before."

"And luckily you weren't picked up by the wrong sort." Ardyn added, annoying both of them.

Andromeda was certain that she had been, but she kept quiet. Considering what she knew of the Lucian authorities, they would have been the bad sort too, though at least they would have probably eliminated her much faster. That route had to be on the minds of these men as well, for whenever they ran out of use for her.

"Though that is not all you've been hiding." Verstael smiled smugly.

She stood a little straighter at that. Thanks to crime shows on TV, Andromeda had suspected that her room here was bugged. She didn't think it was anything too advanced—certainly nothing that could monitor how she slept, and whether or not she dreamwalked. He had no reason to suspect that she could do it, so why would he look for it?

Receiving no response, he continued with the same arrogant attitude. "Your records indicate you are Lucian, but your blood is Tenebraen."

That was worse. So much worse. The secret that Andromeda had been taught to protect for years was suddenly out in the open—and discovered by Imperial authorities, no less. She thought nothing of it when blood samples were taken from her; she didn't think anything special would be found. But she couldn't resist any of their orders. They would get what they wanted from her one way or another.

Ardyn clearly enjoyed the reveal, but kept his mouth shut. Both men waited for a reaction from Andromeda. She didn't give one, still frozen. If Verstael found out that much, he could probably put the rest of the story together. She wasn't going to fill in the details.

"Nothing you have said has been the truth." He stated. "I suspect your name is not Andrea Hulda, either."

Andromeda continued to keep her mouth shut. They would not get her real name—not from her. Maybe, somehow, all was not lost.

"Lucis has rather strict immigration policies, so I've heard." Verstael went on, "And no one has been allowed to leave Tenebrae since Niflheim has taken it over. That you've managed to hide that all these years is impressive. But that is not as forgivable as a misdemeanor. Border crossing is a much larger offense."

"Well, I think the law can be bent in these circumstances." Ardyn interjected casually. "It was years ago. She couldn't have been much more than a child at the time."

Andromeda stared at him for a moment, as if his face would somehow give a reason as to why he spoke on her behalf. He didn't give any indication why before she glanced back at Verstael. He was the one in charge here.

"Yes, and I recall that there's an aunt still in Insomnia." The scientist mused. "A couple of spies could extract her and bring her here, should you resist."

He only continued to twist the knife. Andromeda hadn't thought of her aunt in awhile. Despite all of this, she expected that Linda would still be safe in Insomnia. It was a foolish belief. Niflheim could do whatever they wanted. They could probably even demand Lucis hand Linda over, and the king would. She and Andromeda were not Lucians; they weren't worth fighting for. The Lucians would lock her up just the same.

"I've told you all that I know about my powers." Andromeda finally spoke for herself again. "The rest isn't important to you."

Verstael smiled once more at her claim. "Perhaps it is. Though you refuse to tell me, I know enough to figure it out on my own. For now, you'll be escorted back to your room. Consider what I've said."

A moment later, the door opened. Another nondescript lab assistant stood waiting. Andromeda wondered how Verstael was able to silently call them to him. She didn't stay any longer with the men to contemplate it. It was probably some sort of paging system. Regardless, she couldn't leave the study fast enough, even if it meant returning to her room, now serving as a prison cell.

* * *

It was a long time before Andromeda was summoned again—a couple of days, in fact. Verstael must have wanted to give her a lot of time to think. As always, she didn't have any other choice but to comply with his demands. Perhaps now that he was so confident in his sleuthing abilities, he would at least stop asking about her identity. Andromeda thought she could continue to play dumb about her powers, without suffering consequences.

The collar was taken off of her several hours after the discussion by a lab assistant. Everyone seemed to know where the button was except for her. She wasn't told why it was being taken away this time, but she assumed it was a show of trust on Verstael's part. As much as Andromeda didn't like him, she wouldn't betray that much trust.

That same night, she attempted to dreamwalk into Linda's dreams, all the way in Insomnia. There was a chance, because of the time differences, that Linda wasn't sleeping at all. Either that, or more likely, there was a limit to how far Andromeda could reach. It wasn't very long before she was pulled down into the deep levels of the compound again, surrounded by the screams of daemons and humans.

She tried a couple more times at different hours before giving up. With nothing else to do, she was bored. A lab assistant took pity on her and gathered up as many magazines as she could. Andromeda appreciated the small gesture of kindness, even though not all of the magazines were interesting.

Eventually someone came in without a meal. Instead the lab assistant brought a large black bracelet. After requesting Andromeda lift up her pant leg, she locked it around her ankle. The clothing covered it completely. At least it was less humiliating than the collar had been.

"Do you have all of your personal belongings?" The lab assistant asked. Andromeda looked around the room and checked her pockets. She always kept her useless wallet and the small shard of quartz on her. She gave a nod.

Before she could ask what the lab assistant meant by that, she was being escorted through the halls and onto the elevator. The older woman walked fast, leaving no time for questions. As they were leaving the floor, Andromeda knew that something was about to change. She was glad her confinement in the room was over.

The sun was blinding, magnified moreso by the snow everywhere, as she was taken outside. There had hardly been any windows inside. It made Andromeda wonder how long she had been kept there. Her capture in Lucis seemed like a very long time ago.

Her eyes adjusted in time to see that she was being led to a small aircraft. Verstael stood waiting near the bridge leading into it. He wasn't affected by the cold like she was in her simple sweater and khaki pants.

Andromeda thought to ask where they were going, but refrained when she remembered their last conversation. She had heard of Niflheim's work camps, where all manner of convicts, POWs, and recaptured refugees went. She had assumed that her special powers gained her some favor to avoid that, being locked in Verstael's compound for the rest of her life. At least there would always be something to do at work camps.

Dismissing his assistant, Verstael gestured for Andromeda to lead the way with a slight smirk that immediately irritated her. She shot back a scowl before walking into the plane.

Her eyes took some time to adjust again to the incandescent lighting. The interior wasn't what she had expected: beyond the small cargo hold, there were a few seats. Andromeda took one next to a small window. Verstael went to the front, presumably to speak with the pilot. Unfortunately, he returned a moment later. She breathed a sigh of relief as he took a seat on the other side of the aisle. But as the plane jerked into the sky, she tensed again.

"The Emperor was impressed by your powers." He announced once they were settled in the air. Andromeda cast a suspecting glance at him. "We recorded it for research, of course. There is more to it that you are not aware of."

"Like what?"

"Your actions affect more than you know." Verstael offered cryptically. "Why, you wield the power of chaos!"

"But you can control it." Andromeda crossed her arms. The ankle bracelet was surprisingly lightweight, but she could still feel it there.

Verstael mused. "Interestingly enough, the same energy that hinders the magic of the Lucian royal bloodlines also hinders your powers. Since you are not Lucian at all, then the energy can interfere with the power of gods themselves."

Andromeda kept quiet, turning to the window. They were approaching that question again. She considered the consequences of telling the truth once more: he wouldn't know what she was talking about, the truth would be seen as another cover-up; and having seen how Ifrit could be summoned at will by Ardyn, she assumed Verstael would have similar plans to bind Etro. No wonder she was such a hidden goddess.

"You will tell us someday who it was." Verstael vowed.

"My answer is still the same." Andromeda replied coldly. "Where are we going?"

"To Gralea. His Radiance wants to meet you personally." He explained casually. She looked at him again, suddenly fearful and thankful for the ankle bracelet that kept that fearfulness from making things worse. "It is a high honor given to few. Considering your good behavior so far, you'll be given the privilege. Ardyn is even speaking on your behalf to have this... _immigration_ problem cleared up. You would do well to mind your manners. Remember what is being done for you."

Andromeda remained silent again. She was reminded that her life was out of her own hands. She hated it, but she had to be grateful to Ardyn—if he could fix the problem as Verstael had described. These two awful men were in control of what would happen to her. The Emperor might have a say now as well.

Like with the king of Lucis, Andromeda paid little mind to the emperor of Niflheim. These powerful men had been far away, and until very recently, didn't interfere with her daily life. There had been that time when Kingsglaive tried to find her, but they left her alone within a couple of hours. Encountering the king in a dream did not count as actually meeting him. He probably couldn't even remember that incident now, just as Andromeda hoped the emperor would not think she was significant.

All of Niflheim gave her a bad feeling. Its leader was no exception, especially as he dressed like in such ancient robes for appearances. That his subordinates referred to him as "His Radiance" only supported that. She had to wonder what he would have planned for her. The best Andromeda could hope for was a formal pardon, but she would still be trapped in Niflheim.

Verstael left her alone for the rest of the flight. Regardless, she was painfully aware of his presence. She kept her gaze out the window, watching clouds and the land below go by. Over time, the land rose up, then suddenly dropped off into a massive crater. Their flight neared its end as buildings suddenly sprouted up in the barren land. It had only taken a couple of hours to reach Gralea.

Andromeda had never seen Insomnia from above, but she thought that Gralea looked just as big from the brief look she got. Shortly after seeing the city, the plane landed and Verstael led the way out.

An official was there to meet them at the landing zone. He only addressed Verstael, so Andromeda did not listen too closely as both men led the way. Shortly after, an assistant approached them. Andromeda was handed off to her while the men continued on.

The assistant first offered a smile, then her hand. "Hi. I'm Michelle. Chancellor Izunia had me assigned to be your guide here. Do you have any bags?"

Andromeda took the hand lightly. Maybe this meant that she would see less of Verstael and Ardyn. She hoped so. "No."

Michelle raised a brow at that, then dismissed it. She looked over her tablet. "Okay. Well, you're scheduled to meet the Emperor tomorrow. We'll go over what to do and wear later. Are those really the only clothes you have?"

"Yes." Andromeda glanced down at her outfit. It was dark and simple; it was already formal compared to what she usually wore.

Again Michelle took a moment before continuing as she processed that fact. "Then we'll do some shopping after lunch. The chancellor has provided an allowance for that." She began walking. "You'll be staying in a hotel suite on his expense as well. He will be presenting you to the Emperor tomorrow, so you won't be alone. If you forget anything, just follow his lead."

"Michelle?" Andromeda interrupted her train of thought. This was the most anyone had chatted to her in such a long time. She felt that she could trust her enough to ask her this question: "What day is it?"

The assistant stopped completely at the question. She was an urbanite through and through—always running to the next thing, with too many thoughts in her head. She glanced at her tablet to be sure. "It's June 5th. Thursday. Why?"

Andromeda mulled it over. Classes had finished almost a month ago, and graduation followed within a week of that. She hadn't participated in the ceremony because she wasn't finished with school yet. Instead, she had been captured. It had been nearly three weeks since then. It was a short amount of time, but it felt like a long time for all that had happened since then. How much of that time had Andromeda been unconscious from her powers?

"Is there something I should add to the schedule?" Michelle asked carefully, perhaps a little impatiently.

"No." Andromeda shook her head. The assistant began walking briskly again. "What's in the schedule?"

"For today? Not much. We'll see how tomorrow's meeting goes before I go any further with it."

"What if it doesn't go well?"

"It will. Just don't speak unless spoken to. Don't address the Emperor out of turn. That's the golden rule at any Imperial meeting."

They entered a building with a couple of security checkpoints, but Michelle had a pass that allowed her and Andromeda to pass through them easily. Once through that, they went out into the city streets. They found an available taxi and climbed in.

Gralea wasn't quite the same as Insomnia. Whereas Insomnia had a lot of Gothic architecture, Gralea's buildings were less decorative. Many buildings in the shopping districts were sleek. They were also darker than the ones in Insomnia, making the whole city seem dark despite the sun shining overhead. The large airship looming above also cast a large shadow over much of the city.

The taxi stopped in front of a bistro that Michelle knew. They kept lunch short: she grabbed a cup of coffee while Andromeda ordered a sandwich. It was one of the nicest meals she had had in a long time. She found herself homesick for Lucis, where there were even better sandwiches. She wasn't given long to think about it; once her meal was gone, Michelle whisked her a few blocks away to a clothing store.

Andromeda never went shopping for clothes before; everything she had worn before had been hand-me-downs, and she had been fine with that. After a flight in a plane, she wasn't interested in shopping. Thankfully, Michelle took charge of selecting possible outfits. Andromeda agreed as long as there were pants.

She tried to make it end as soon as possible, but it still took up half of the afternoon. She was hopeful when they went to the hotel afterwards. Her hopes diminished when they entered the suite and Michelle immediately began to instruct her on how to present herself before the Emperor. It was a lot to keep in mind for one old man. Andromeda practiced how fast to walk in the throne room and keeping her back straight for what remained of the day. By the end, both women were irritated with each other.

Michelle left after that. Andromeda learned how to use room service and got take-out from the nearest fast food restaurant. It wasn't the same as the Crow's Nest, and it made her weirdly homesick for Lucis again. She hoped she wouldn't end up staying in Gralea for long, though she knew better than to think of escape.

The hotel also had cable television, but Andromeda was too exhausted to see what was going on in the world. She got under the plush covers of the bed. Though she was tired, she spent a lot of time tossing and turning as she thought of the jeers she would face in the throne room the next morning.

* * *

She was woken up by knocking on the door. Her fretting had finally given into sleep at a very early morning hour. It took a minute for Andromeda to remember where she was. When she did, she scrambled out of bed and began to dress for the day.

"Be right there!" She yelled at the door to stop the knocking.

"Did you just wake up?" Michelle scolded on the other side. "I'll get breakfast brought up. Just hurry!"

Andromeda was dressed before breakfast arrived. She thought she did a good job in making herself presentable in her dress suit, but Michelle fussed with her hair to make it hang down her back just right. She allowed Andromeda to leave the jacket unbuttoned because of the seasonal warmth.

Breakfast was small for both of them, as if Andromeda wasn't the only one without an appetite. Glancing around the suite, which was much too big for her, she felt out of place. If the suite was just a little bigger, it could have housed her entire family. At least Verstael's compound had been simple. Andromeda did not like extravagance.

After breakfast, she finished getting ready and practiced her walk and posture again until Michelle deemed them acceptable. Then they left for Zegnautus Keep.

It seemed to be an odd place for the Emperor to preside in a throne room. It could be seen from just about anywhere in Gralea, precariously balanced on an elevator tower. Michelle had informed Andromeda with some pride that it was the greatest warship Niflheim had ever made. Apparently it made perfect sense among Nifs to put the throne room in there. Andromeda now thought more fondly of the Citadel in Insomnia, although neither place gave her a good feeling.

She kept her eyes shut for the entire ascent into Zegnautus Keep, the elevator moving too fast for her liking. Michelle seemed unbothered by it, walking out of the elevator with ease once they had reached the top. Andromeda sulked after her, her guts doing somersaults.

The Citadel's halls had been a maze like the Keep's were, but the Keep was colder. There were no statutes or paintings to look at along the way. There also weren't a lot of windows. Andromeda was reminded of Verstael's compound again. Neither were very inhabitable.

When Ardyn appeared in the halls, Andromeda knew she was being handed off to another person again. She didn't mind him for once because he would know what to do.

He looked over her outfit. She gave a small glare, feeling mocked without him having to say anything.

"I'll catch you later." Michelle excused herself with a small bow of her head. Andromeda nodded and turned away as she left.

"Are you enjoying your stay so far?" Ardyn smiled as they continued walking in the halls. They had to be getting close to the throne room.

She gave a shrug. "It's just another city."

"Would you prefer to have stayed at Verstael's laboratory? It wasn't easy getting you here after your show of power. You are somewhat of a security risk." He went on.

"I'm aware." Andromeda grit her teeth. Her aunt had been terrified of her; why else would she have sent her niece away all on her own, other than to secure her own life? If they had tried to keep it under control in Insomnia, they would both still be safe, or dead. "Verstael said you were trying to clear up my citizenship. How is that going?"

"I may have mentioned it to the Emperor here and there." He admitted nonchalantly, "But I think putting a face to the name will seal the deal."

"What if it doesn't?"

"It will. After everything I've done so far, you think I can't accomplish something as simple as this?" Ardyn grinned despite the fake hurt in his voice. He then took a patronizing tone. "Do you know what a chancellor is?"

Andromeda snorted. "Someone who gets paid way too much."

He found her remark less amusing. They stopped before a door guarded by two Magitek troopers. They were everywhere in the Keep. Andromeda hated how accustom she was to them by now.

"This meeting with the Emperor is a mere formality. I've already fixed your papers. He stands by whatever decision I make as his right-hand man." Ardyn dropped his cheerful facade for just a moment, becoming more serious and menacing. "Like Verstael, he is much more interested in your power than where you come from. He can't be trifled with such a trivial thing. Now, follow my lead. Leave the talking to me."

He led the way through the door and across a bridge in a large area. The walls were lined with cells that went on endlessly. The bridge led to a landing in the center of it all, and in the center of that was a large circular room. It was the last place to suspect a throne room, but it couldn't be anything else.

There was no formal announcement of their entrance; Ardyn opened the door himself. Andromeda followed him like a shadow, falling into step with him (though he walked faster than she had been told to). She kept her posture in mind, quickly spotting Verstael watching her from before the throne.

The throne stood against the furthest wall in the room, on top of a slightly raised floor with red carpeting. That same carpet spilled onto the two steps and straight to the door. Imperial flags adorned some of the walls, and the carpet before the throne bore the insignia. At least it was far less elaborate than the Citadel, where Andromeda felt she could have hidden behind a number of statues. There was no hiding here.

Ardyn stopped a few feet from the steps, in line with Verstael. Andromeda ended up between them, glancing at them from the corners of her eyes once in awhile to see what they were doing and correct herself appropriately. When not looking to them, she kept her eyes down.

"Your Radiance, I come with the woman of the hour!" Ardyn bowed and gestured towards Andromeda. She and Verstael watched him, the latter frowning disapprovingly.

The Emperor, of course, sat on the throne, looking down on the three of them. He was older than any pictures she had seen of him. The white robe of his made him look bigger than he really was. He looked Andromeda over with some interest. Her feelings of dread intensified.

"You are not Lucian?" He asked. His voice was far less grating than the other two, but she could hear a hint of dramatic flair in it.

"Yes, Your Radiance." Andromeda nearly stumbled over the words. She hadn't expected to be addressed.

"Her looks are convincing, but she is a full-blooded Tenebraen." Verstael explained for her.

The Emperor didn't seem to hear him. He must have explained that by now. His attention remained on Andromeda. "Which god granted you these powers?"

He had to know about her previous lies. Lying to his subordinates was one thing; lying to the dictator was much more difficult. His will overruled all else. It was what got her killed and brought back to life with Etro's Blessing in the first place.

She considered her answer for a moment too long for the men. Rather than glance at the floor, she found the courage to maintain eye contact with the Emperor. If it weren't for the ankle bracelet, she could have toppled Zegnautus Keep and destroyed his city by now. As Ardyn had told her before their entrance, her fate was already set. The Emperor could do nothing for her. "None that I know of, Your Radiance."

The disappointment from all three was obvious. It was as if her hesitance to answer had made them hopeful—that confronted by the supreme leader, Andromeda would finally tell the truth. She wondered if she even could speak the truth at this point.

"I'm afraid that is one crucial piece of information we have failed to extract, Your Radiance." Verstael gave a pained smile.

"Oh, but I think we're making progress." Ardyn countered. "Before I visited, she didn't believe in gods at all!"

The Emperor dismissed both of their claims, continuing to focus on Andromeda. Her last answer made him lose interest. "I'm afraid the punishment for lying is more strict here than it would be in Lucis. Especially with something so dangerous."

Ardyn interjected. "Let's not rush to conclusions, Your Radiance. The truth can take time before it comes forth. And perhaps she really doesn't know. Perhaps she's telling the truth now."

His defense didn't rouse the Emperor from his sudden boredom of the issue. All three waited for a verdict. Andromeda shot a glare at Ardyn, once again wondering why he would come to her aid. Considering everything else he had done for her thus far, she was regrettably in debt to him.

"So be it. She is in your care." The Emperor waved them away. Ardyn bowed again, smirking at Verstael's look of indignation. With a gesture of his own hand, he led Andromeda out of the throne room.

She breathed a sigh of relief once the door was shut. So far, she was not sentenced to death or a life in the work camps, nor was she going to return to Verstael's laboratory. She was still stuck in Gralea with Ardyn as a kind of guardian, and he seemed to have his own agenda outside of Niflheim's, but it was better than the alternatives.

"See? Merely a formality." Ardyn repeated himself, then continued walking.

"So now what?" Andromeda followed again. They didn't know where Michelle had wandered off to, and as far as she knew, there was nothing scheduled for her to do.

"We must brush up your manners for the ball next week."

"Ball?" She felt the dread return.

"Yes. The Emperor holds one occasionally. It keeps the people happy." Ardyn smiled at her surprise.

"And I'm supposed to go? Aren't I a security risk?"

"Not with Verstael's technology. You'll be wearing that ankle bracelet for quite awhile. It's best not to let anyone see it."

Andromeda frowned. "What would it accomplish if I go?"

"Isn't it every girl's dream to attend a ball? I even have a partner lined up for you, but I'm not telling who it is." Ardyn teased.

"Maybe if I were ten-years-old again and playing with dolls." She scoffed.

Ardyn lost his playfulness again as he stopped to scowl at her."You're not going to sit in the hotel for your entire stay. The Emperor may know as much of the truth as we do, but everyone else concerned thinks you've come with information on the Lucian forces and are seeking asylum in Niflheim. It's a much better story than what you would have come up with."

Andromeda glared back, although it was not as easy as looking the Emperor in the eyes. "And how long will I be staying?"

"You'll stay until I'm done with you. Whether your stay will be pleasant or miserable will depend on your behavior at the ball. You aren't exactly seen as a hero by everyone."

She wanted to argue more, but she wasn't going to win. "Fine."

Perhaps the work camps would have been the better alternative.


	10. Part 2:3

There wasn't a moment to rest during the week leading up to the military ball. Etiquette lessons started as soon as Andromeda was out of bed, and ended well into the night. Michelle taught her dinner etiquette (which Andromeda felt was too unnecessary), how to sit and walk, how to drink at formal events, and polite conversation. They kept at it until she could do it by rote.

There were also many appointments during the week. After leaving Zegnautus Keep, Andromeda was taken to a dress boutique (Michelle insisted it was not a store), where the assistant had five dresses picked out for her to try. All were modestly low-cut and sleeveless, revealing the intense scarring on Andromeda's chest and arms. She tried one on and showed it to Michelle and the shopkeeper, both who were shocked and immediately looked for alternatives. The debate took a couple of hours too long for Andromeda, but they all finally agreed on a dark navy high neck ball gown that was both modest and simple. It covered her chest and most of her back, save a teardrop-shaped hole between the shoulder blades that reached up to the base of her neck. It was still sleeveless, but they all agreed that the scars on her arms were not as offensive.

She thought it was over with the selection of the dress, but they moved onto fitting right afterwards. She had to take her shirt off for torso measurements, revealing the full length of the scarring. Over the years and as she grew, the scarring became less intense and stretched out. The worst of it was over her chest, the scar tissue leaving it flat. The scars reached down her abdomen as well. The other women were kind enough to not say anything about it, although they stared. The shopkeeper tutted at how much work she would have to do to shrink the dress's bust and hip areas. Andromeda was not curvy at all.

She returned to the boutique several times in the week for refittings, fitting them in between dance lessons that lasted for hours. All of these preparations were supposed to help Andromeda look less like a fool, but they certainly made her feel like one. Being presented to the Emperor was much easier than preparing for a ball.

Shortly before the ball, Michelle went over some of the people that would be attending, but Andromeda didn't listen too closely. She had to wonder who she would be going with, dreading what Ardyn had planned. She wouldn't put it past him to choose himself.

* * *

The night finally came and Andromeda was dressed up with Michelle's help. They went over several key points as they waited in the hotel lobby for her date to appear. They both looked up anytime someone came through the doors, but so far, none of them were military.

It was rather easy to tell who was military and who was not; like in Lucis, Niflheim's military officials made somewhat of a grand entrance wherever they went, their elaborate uniforms marking who they were. Where Lucians would have been frightened or aggravated, people in Gralea were always happy to have military presence. Andromeda hadn't heard one complaint about it in the week she had been in the city so far. There was something unsettling about the celebrity status of Niflheim's military.

The long white coat was what first gave it away that her date had arrived. She relaxed slightly—not only was it not Ardyn, but it was actually someone around her age. Andromeda hadn't thought the military had young people in it. She stopped fidgeting her feet before he finished looking around the lobby for her. She stood from her seat once they locked eyes, matching his haughty expression with one of her own. Michelle drew a sharp breath in warning.

Another man walked a step ahead of him as they approached her. He wore a dark, plain suit; he was the chauffeur.

He bowed slightly. "Miss Hulda? Ravus Nox Fleuret, Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army."

"Andrea." The taller man offered his hand, then a smile. Andromeda only shook his hand. The surname sounded familiar.

"So you're the mystery date Ardyn set up." She noticed the sword at his side. It oddly made the outfit. It didn't distract from his hair, though. She thought Imperial officials were supposed to keep it short and formal. How did Ardyn manage to convince someone so high up to attend with her?

"He did not tell you we would be attending together?" Ravus raised a brow, now offering his arm. Andromeda put hers around it, glancing towards Michelle to wave goodbye as they began walking for the door. She barely waved back, tapping on her tablet.

"No. I guess he wanted a dramatic reveal." She was thankful that Ardyn didn't show up just to see her reaction. He would have been disappointed.

The car was waiting in front of the doors outside. Ravus's voice lost some of its cordial tone. "What is your relation to Ardyn?"

Andromeda tried to think of a quick response. "It's complicated. He would be able to answer it best."

The chauffeur moved ahead of them to open the rear door of the car. She raised her skirt slightly as she climbed in, feeling the cooling air on her skin just above the ankle bracelet. She settled into the furthest seat in and smoothed the cloth down her leg. Ravus took his seat with a frown. They sat in an awkward silence as the chauffeur made his way to the driver's seat. The damage was already done. They hadn't even made it to the ball.

"You're pretty young for a deputy commander." Andromeda finally thought of something to say as the car started moving. She had to get both of their minds off of the ankle bracelet. She followed some advice Michelle had shared: men loved talking about themselves. The more she could get Ravus to do that, the less talking she would have to do. "How'd you do it?"

Talking about himself didn't seem to make him any happier, though. He kept his gaze out the window. "I gained my rank by persevering. Niflheim rewards dedication."

Andromeda frowned, refraining from rolling her eyes at his snobbish tone. She had a strong hunch that the High Commander was his father—or perhaps the Emperor was, but there was hardly any resemblance, nor were the surnames the same. The only logical explanation for such a young deputy was that his father was someone even more important. Ravus was at most a couple years older than she was.

"You must have started really young, then." Andromeda mumbled, looking out her own window now. The ball couldn't be too far away.

"As young as I could. Niflheim assures those who serve it achieve greatness." He glanced at her. "Something you must have realized by now. Though _you_ look rather young to be trading military secrets."

The downside of not having seen Ardyn all week was that he hadn't given Andromeda more information about her latest alibi. She had wanted to ask him exactly what secrets she brought with herself. From Ravus's expression, he didn't believe her information was worth the extravagant treatment she was getting.

"I happened to be in the right place at the right time." She shrugged.

"And I assume you landed in the wrong place at the wrong time afterwards." He continued to look at her with a scrutinizing gaze. "What information do you have on the Lucian forces that is enough to bribe your way out of trouble?"

Ravus was demanding. She had to fill in the blanks that Ardyn left. After another moment of looking out the window, Andromeda looked at him with a smile. "No one's told you yet? I met with the Emperor last week to discuss it. I won't betray his trust, if it hasn't come down to you."

Her answer made him slightly happier. He finally looked away, no longer paying attention to her. She felt safe enough to look away as well.

Andromeda thought about asking some questions about the evening, but assumed Ravus wouldn't tell her more than she already knew. The longer they were quiet on the way to the ball, the less they would talk during the night. He would likely talk to other military men. She would just be the woman hanging off of his arm, and nothing more. It didn't sound too bad, because it meant that few would want to talk to her. It was the last thing she wanted.

The drive didn't last too much longer before the car queued in a line in front of a larger hotel. There were a lot more people, too—both guests and ushers. The car finally parked, an usher opening the door for Ravus. He offered a hand to Andromeda as she climbed out. Her anxiety had calmed somewhat in the car, but now returned in full force as they approached the doors.

She followed his lead, as she intended to do for the whole night. Some guests loitered to talk to each other before entering the ballroom. Ravus passed all of them with only a slight glance at the other attendees. A herald announced his entrance, but only addressed Andromeda as a guest. She didn't mind because it meant that she wasn't notable. As they entered the massive room, though, all eyes seemed to be on the pair. She hoped they were looking at Ravus, who was taller and more elegantly dressed. Military uniforms were everywhere in the room, mixed with elaborate ballgowns and the occasional waiter.

The room was the biggest she had ever seen, a large open space in the middle surrounded by circular dining tables. The architecture was intrinsic, miming Lucian but with the Empire's twist. Imperial flags hung from the ceiling among a few chandeliers, as if all of the military men in the room weren't enough of a reminder of what country they were in. It was nothing like Zegnautus Keep. Aside from Andromeda's hotel suite, this was the first room that felt warm and inviting.

Even though she wore heels, Andromeda made it down the set of stairs into the room without stumbling. She had just about spent the whole week in heels to get used to them. Her many dance lessons in these heels had left her with blisters all over her feet. She had covered them with a soothing ointment, but still hoped that Ravus was not the type to dance.

An usher showed them to their seats as the next guests were introduced. Ravus pulled the chair out for Andromeda before taking his own seat. For as much as she struggled with her etiquette lessons, it all seemed to come naturally for him. It must have come with the military training.

More guests arrived, although none of them caught her attention. She continued to look around the room, noting the gold that gilded the off-white architecture of the walls, and the crystalline chandeliers. Some of the other women called just as much attention to themselves with their elaborate gowns and glittering jewelry. Andromeda only wore simple teardrop earrings, the small "crystal" completely opaque. They were mostly hidden by her hair; aside from a fancy knot in the back of her head that slightly pulled everything to the back, her hair had been left alone.

"Where are you from?" Ravus leaned over and asked quietly, bringing her attention back to their table. They hadn't been joined yet by anyone.

She blinked and thought of her response. She hadn't seen her new "papers" yet; Ardyn could have had her marked as either Lucian or Tenebraen. Since he had given her so little details, she surmised to recycle her last alibi, staying as close to the truth as possible.

"Lucis." Andromeda answered. She suddenly realized that instead of oogling the room, she should be making polite conversation with Ravus. It was what she had been told was proper. He paid no mind to the decorations. She looked like a fool for doing so.

"What part?" He was doing a much better job than she was.

"Well, I moved around a lot. I lived in each region for a little while." Andromeda was truthful. Now she could say she had lived in the three largest countries for a time. "What part of Niflheim are you from?"

Before he could answer, an usher brought two more guests to their table. Rather than answer her question, Ravus began making short small talk with the other man. Andromeda exchanged smiles with the man's date.

Another older couple followed shortly after, filling the table. Not long after that, waiters came around to serve everyone wine. Andromeda then noticed that no one else had been announced for awhile. Everyone had arrived.

Knowing nothing about wine, she ordered whatever Ravus had and regretted it. She took timid sips; Michelle had instructed her on how much and how often it was acceptable to drink, so she wouldn't get drunk or ruin her make-up. Andromeda hadn't drank much before in her life, but she wished cheap beer was considered a formal drink.

"Say, Ravus, who's your date?" One of the men gestured towards her. She had been content to hide in Ravus's shadow, but apparently it was not enough to excuse her from the table's conversation. "You always attend these events alone. It makes me wonder what's so special about her!"

The others shared a small laugh, if at all. Andromeda felt her face become warm. Ravus gave a tense smile before responding.

"This is Andrea Hulda. A mutual acquaintance arranged for us to attend together." He stated, his tone signaling that that was the end of that discussion. The men exchanged amused glances.

The woman sitting on Andromeda's right leaned over. "I like your dress. It's... quaint."

"Thanks." She smiled in return, feeling some satisfaction that her hard work of dressing up was appreciated. "I like yours too. It's very nice."

It was nice, but it was strapless and had far too many sequins—not Andromeda's type. She hadn't seen another gown with a high neck like hers; then again, the other women didn't have imperfections to hide. They made dressing up look easy.

The other two couples were still amused, but it had turned awkward after the short exchange. She didn't understand it, and a glance at Ravus's expression didn't help. He was difficult to read. Thankfully, the moment was ended by the arrival of dinner.

To expedite dinner, the hotel had sent out order forms for dinner a few days beforehand. Andromeda just ordered whatever would be easiest to eat while using etiquette. For a military ball, she was surprised by the small portions. She didn't mind it—the event still made her too nervous to eat a full meal.

With dinner served, the men conversed among themselves while the women sat mutely, as if silently competing over who could be the most proper. Andromeda didn't care, mimicking their manners with ease. Practice had paid off after all.

Smaller portions meant that it did not take forever to eat dinner while observing proper table manners. The waiters were just as quick to clear away the plates and refill any empty wine glasses. Andromeda had barely touched hers, doing a better job than the older women to stay sober.

A band gathered before the open space of the floor. As they began playing the sort of classical music she had been listening to all week, everyone seemed to stand and gather to the dance floor—including Ravus, who offered a hand to her. Andromeda allowed herself to be led into the crowd, following his lead again.

"You don't strike me as someone who likes to dance." She commented as he took her waist and left hand.

"We're expected to participate in the first dance as per my office." Ravus explained stiffly. "This is the only one I intend to participate in tonight."

Andromeda was relieved to hear that. She hated being this close to him and moving in tempo with everyone else. She tried pretending he was her dance instructor. At least he didn't scold her as much as the instructor had.

"For someone who hates dancing, you're good at it." Andromeda offered after two minutes of awkward, unhappy silence between them. "Do you come to these things often?"

It was a cliche thing to say, and she immediately regretted it. She certainly didn't feel like she was making a good impression on him. Wasn't the point of coming to this thing was to assure everyone in attendance that she was on their side in the war?

"I try not to." Ravus gazed around the room in an aloof manner. He wasn't aware of her inner struggle. "Quaint isn't a compliment, you know."

"What?"

"The general's wife was insulting you when she called your dress quaint." He frowned.

"Oh." Andromeda bit her tongue before she could say anymore, her face flushing again. She would rather be quaint than wear any of the gaudy ballgowns that she saw around the floor. Not to mention that the general's wife's dress left little to the imagination; if she were to bend over, her breasts would pop out. Andromeda didn't have that problem.

"I'm sorry if my choice of dress insults your office." It felt like the right thing to say, but she didn't feel good saying it. Why should she apologize for being sensible? It wasn't as if she knew who her date was when picking the dress out.

"I prefer it. Much of the people here are drunk on the Empire's wealth. They crave these events not to garner support for the war effort, but to show off their own wealth built by Niflheim. It's a pointless distraction from the war." Ravus finally looked back down at her. "Don't forget why you're here."

As the first song came to an end, Andromeda did spot the very reason looming off in a corner of the room, taking a glass of champagne from a passing waitress. She excused herself, promising to find Ravus again shortly.

Ardyn smiled as Andromeda approached at a brisk walk despite the heels. Everything about him was very annoying. He still wore the same layers of clothing as when she had first seen him; he was exempt from the required attire.

"Enjoying the evening?" He raised the glass to her. "I hope Ravus is being amiable."

"He's fine." She didn't mind how little interest Ravus had in being here. She hadn't wanted to come either. "You must have pulled a lot of strings to get him to come. What exactly did you tell him?"

"Exactly what I told you last week. Though your meeting with the Emperor did leave an impression. Not many informants get that far. It makes you worth the attention."

"The less, the better." Andromeda grumbled. "What's this big secret I'm supposed to know?"

"Ah, but if I tell you, you'd surely tell everyone else. It wouldn't be such a big secret then, would it?" Ardyn smirked. "Continue to play your part and you and your aunt will remain safe. If you don't, I'm afraid it's back to Vestael's laboratory."

"Why hide my power? Isn't that the real reason why I'm being kept alive?" She crossed her arms. The attention it would get her then would be unbearable, but she expected that that kind of information would assure their victory.

"Look around. The Imperial Army is full of self-important fools, including dear Ravus. If any of them found out that you have some god-given power, they would vie for control over you, then bleed you dry until there was nothing left. And then dispose of you." Ardyn lowered his voice, although they were away from most of the guests.

"Isn't that what you and Verstael have planned?"

"Verstael is more interested in gods than mortals. I have no need for you. But we're kindred spirits, as I've said." He watched the crowd. "You should return to your date. It's rude to keep him waiting."

With a roll of her eyes, Andromeda turned and went back towards the table, where she expected Ravus to be sulking. There was no getting anything else out of Ardyn—anything that she wanted to know, at least. He had his own powers, and no use for her. Yet she was stuck in his mercy. He wouldn't tell her his plans just as she wouldn't explain which god granted her powers. The stalemate delayed the inevitable, but it bought her time.

No one was at the table. She looked towards the open bar, where plenty of people gathered. Ravus's height over everyone would have singled him out, but he was not there either. That just left the small groups that mingled about, keeping clear of the dance floor. Amazingly, some couples still continued to dance.

Andromeda eventually found him in conversation with another man. She rejoined his side and he bothered to introduce her to this new face. This man was polite enough to shake her hand, although she immediately forgot his name among the few others she learned that night. She simply stood by as they continued talking. It was a pretty boring conversation; like all of his conversations that night, Ravus only seemed half-interested in taking part in it. Eventually the man finished off his scotch, and after both declined drinks, he went to the bar to order another.

"I trust you weren't causing trouble while you stepped away." Ravus turned to Andromeda once they were alone. For the moment, no one else was trying to grab his attention.

"No. I just couldn't find the ladies' room." She fibbed innocently.

"You were speaking to Ardyn."

"He is acting as my benefactor here, though I don't know why," Andromeda frowned. Ravus had been keeping an eye on her. "He's a creep, but it would have been rude if I ignored his presence here."

She had an honest point and they both knew it. Ravus narrowed his eyes at her.

"You must hold quite the secret to plead for asylum in Niflheim. For all you've seen, the Empire is wise to not trust you."

She began to respond sarcastically, but the herald suddenly spoke up again, interrupting all conversation and music in the room.

"Lady Lunafreya Nox Flueret, Oracle and Princess of Tenebrae!"

From atop the stairs, a young woman strode down the steps. Her dress was formal, but not frilly like the ballgowns in the room. She gave a gentle wave as everyone clapped. The only two that seemed to abstain were Ravus and Andromeda. He had stiffened at the announcement.

She managed to pull her gaze from the Oracle's descent into the room to look up at him. The surname finally made sense. He wasn't just the deputy commander of Niflheim's army. He was the prince of Tenebrae, her homeland. It was a title he gladly discarded for the wealth and power the Empire promised.

Andromeda seethed. She hadn't felt such a rush of anger in years—the last time was when she been sent out of Insomnia by her aunt. It was that anger she had pulled on for Verstael's experiment. If it weren't for the ankle bracelet, they would be experiencing a repeat. She was too angry to be afraid of it.

Lunafreya soon made it off of the stairs and was immediately bombarded by women eager for a touch from her, as if it would heal whatever superficial ailment they had. Andromeda lost sight of her in the crowd, assuming that that would be all she ever saw of the Oracle. It was odd for a peaceful figure to be at a military ball. The music began again as the ball resumed. She suddenly felt that the grandeur was disgusting.

"Excuse me." Ravus muttered, walking away. Andromeda couldn't look at him. She assumed he was going to his sister's side. She was glad that he left before she could say something she would regret.

She couldn't remain in that spot alone for long. She began wandering in search of a dark corner she could possibly hide in until it was over. Maybe the ladies' room was just the place.

True to her fib, Andromeda couldn't find the ladies' room. They didn't make it obvious here, and she wasn't going to ask anyone. With the appearance of the Oracle, everyone was far too preoccupied to notice her wandering.

She came across a strange statue that hadn't been in the room before. Its metal armor was completely embossed with lines reminding her of tree bark. It was when it turned its head towards her that Andromeda realized it was not a statue, but another very tall man who was exempt from the formal dress code. It was the first hint of security she had seen at the whole event. Who was he here for: the Oracle or Andromeda?

Adverting her gaze, she made to pass by, but he caught her arm in a large hand. His grip hurt.

"You're a long way from Insomnia." His voice was deep. She wasn't actually sure where his eyes were, and so didn't look at him. Pulling free would obviously be a mistake.

"I'm aware." She answered tersely. What an obvious and stupid thing to say. He might have a grip on her, but she didn't think he could do anything here.

"A small girl like you couldn't have possibly killed a man. What power do you have?"

Andromeda looked up at the armored man. Verstael had dug that incident up seemingly forever ago. But only three men were supposed to know of her power. He didn't seem to be any of them. How could he have come to that assumption on his own?

"None." She glanced at his grip on her arm.

"You lie." It surprisingly got tighter. She bit her lip to control her expression.

"So I'm told."

The man looked up as they were quickly approached by someone. Andromeda let her head fall as she saw Ardyn was coming to her aid one more.

"General Glauca, might I ask that you release the young lady? There will be no interrogations tonight." He grinned. "Your deputy is searching all over for her. She shouldn't stray from her date for too long."

There was a tense moment, but at last her arm was released. Ardyn gestured towards the floor, obviously wanting to speak alone with the general. Andromeda walked away silently, keeping her head high and ignoring how her arm throbbed. As much as she suddenly despised Ravus, at least he was too aloof to use force on her yet.

Rather than search for him, though, she intended to return to the table to give her feet a rest. It was tiring to search people out in a crowd. She didn't care if the wives would be there to nitpick at her appearance.

"There you are."

Just as the table had come into view, Ravus appeared behind Andromeda. She turned around, trying to not let the disappointment show.

"Sorry for wandering off. I went to the ladies' room." She explained. At least it was half of a truth. "Honest, this time. I expected you to take longer."

"It was just a short matter of business." Ravus dismissed. "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine." Andromeda answered stubbornly, then tried to appear less agitated. "So, what now?"

Neither of them wanted to dance again. They didn't even want to be here. Perhaps he had gotten tired of escorting her and would suggest they leave early. What else was there to wait for here?

"Ravus?"

A slender figure stepped around him before he could turn. He offered a rare smile towards his sister.

"Lunafreya," He greeted. "I was not aware you would be attending this event."

"Nor I you. But I was told my presence was mandatory." The Oracle turned to Andromeda. "You've brought a guest, for a change."

"Andrea Hulda. The chancellor asked that I attend with her." Ravus explained with a slight frown.

"A pleasure." Lunafreya offered a hand. Andromeda shook it, returning the smile. The princess seemed sincere about it, although she had probably been shaking hands all night and learning everyone's names. She was taller than most women, but still did not compare to her brother's height. Andromeda couldn't see much of a similarity between the two.

"The pleasure's all mine." She stammered, realizing that she should say something back. All of those etiquette lessons hadn't covered how to address the Oracle. What was she doing in Niflheim?

She wanted to look away, but Lunafreya looked at her with a kindness she hadn't experienced in a long time. Her touch had also been so gentle. It seemed like such things didn't exist in the Empire. She didn't hold the slightest bit of anger. Andromeda didn't understand it.

Lunafreya's smile faltered as she became slightly bashful. "Forgive me for asking, but have we met before?"

They had in a dream. Andromeda had done a lot of dreamwalking, but she did not forget the first ones, including the time she had stumbled upon her four years ago, shortly before her ascension. Both had them had grown since then. Luckily, there was no witch to banish Andromeda this time.

"No, I would have remembered meeting you." She assured, knowing that Ravus was also curious. "Andrea is a common name."

The answer didn't exactly assure Lunafreya, but she moved on. "So it is. Would you mind if I borrowed my brother for a dance?"

"Go ahead." Andromeda agreed. Her presence had disarmed her at first, but now she was tired of how proper she was. She needed a break from both Nox Fluerets.

Ravus tried to decline at first, but Lunafreya needed to do little insisting before he gave in and they disappeared onto the dance floor. Andromeda found an open balcony door and slipped out into the night.

It was cold—not as cold as the frozen tundra that Verstael resided in, but cold enough that she wished her dress came with a jacket. Most of the guests who were outside were smoking. She found a vacant stone bench upwind from all of them, and sat to give her feet a much needed break.

The balcony was enclosed, overlooking the city below. It had been a month since Andromeda had seen anything green. She leaned back against the stone railing to look up at the stars. It had been much longer since she had done that.

She had once known all of the major constellations; her father had told her that she was named after one of the stars. The thought made her long for her family home. She hadn't been homesick for Tenebrae in a long time. The longing never did go away. If only her parents could see where she ended up. Had her mother not begged that her daughter's life be spared, she wouldn't be in this mess.

Andromeda stayed there for awhile. When she thought she heard the music come to an end, she prepared herself to go back inside. Ravus might lose his patience now that she had taken off for a third time. Still, she didn't rush to get back. It didn't seem as though he saw Lunafreya often, so she hoped their reunion was buying her some time.

Just as she stood, though, the princess came through the doors. A nearby light cast a spotlight where Andromeda was. Lunafreya approached, looking slightly relieved.

"I hope I'm not intruding." She smiled and took a seat on the bench. "I just needed some air."

Andromeda took her seat again as well. "Where's Ravus?"

"General Glauca wanted to have a word with him." Lunafreya replied. "I wanted to thank you for being with my brother. He can be harsh and he feels justified in his anger towards the world, but there is good in him."

She shook her head. "I'm only here because Ardyn didn't give me a choice. I didn't even know you had a brother until tonight."

Lunafreya offered a slight smile at that. "He's not the same brother I grew up with. The military has changed him. I worry for him."

"Whatever happens to him will be his own doing. He's made his choice." It came out with more bitterness than Andromeda had intended to use in front of her. It startled the princess, who only looked down.

The said brother suddenly came out onto the balcony, spotting the two women and marching towards them. Andromeda stood first, followed by Lunafreya.

"Your wandering off is becoming a problem." Ravus scolded Andromeda. She gave a look of defiance.

Lunafreya interjected. "We only came out for some air. The ballrooms here can get so stuffy."

He considered her for a moment, then sighed. "Lunafreya, go back inside where it's warm. I need a moment to speak with Andrea alone."

"Be nice." She frowned towards her brother for the first time, then did as told. It was no wonder that Ravus found Andromeda's lack of obedience frustrating.

He waited until he saw her go inside, then faced Andromeda. "What happened to your arm?"

She looked down to see her upper arm had swollen and discolored slightly. A large bruise was forming underneath the twisted scars. The cold air had helped with the pain, making her forget about it.

"I bumped into a column." She shrugged it off.

"That's not what it looks like. Someone was rough towards you. If you do not tell me, everyone will assume it was me, and I will not have it." Ravus's tone became patronizing as he continued to scold her.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Your Majesty." Andromeda crossed her arms. "For someone who looks down at all the people here, you care a lot about what they think."

"You would do well to do the same. You have a lot depending on it." He sneered.

She glared up at him indignantly for a moment, enraged that he would throw that in her face. She never felt such hatred towards one person before. Then it all came out before she could stop it.

"My parents fought for your family. We didn't follow your ways, but they believed in the Queen. I'm glad they're not alive to see you've betrayed your own people for whatever power the Empire has promised you. You're just a puppet, with the Emperor's hand so far up your-"

They both froze as he lifted a hand. Andromeda had hit a tender spot, but in the process had revealed too much about herself. Ravus seemed too offended to take that into consideration. As she did not continue, he lowered his hand again. It almost seemed that he was just as surprised by his own action.

"There had better be a very good reason you are here." He warned quietly. They weren't alone on the balcony, after all.

She still did not back down. "Break the bracelet and find out."

She hadn't bothered with it too many times, knowing that she would fail to get it off of her ankle. But someone besides herself would probably have better luck. Once it was off, she vowed to bring everything down.

Ravus considered it for a moment, then turned away. "We're leaving. Now."

"Good." She agreed curtly, putting her uninjured arm around his. They passed Ardyn on the way inside. He raised another glass towards her. Whatever he had planned to get out of this, he got it.

The ball was winding down as they passed through. Many couples had the same idea to leave at this time. Ravus and Andromeda passed through without having to stop to talk to anyone. They were leaving without saying goodbye to Lunafreya, wherever she ended up.

The car was waiting for them in front of the hotel. The ride back to Andromeda's hotel was silent. Once there, he still observed his manners, but there was a new emptiness to the gestures. Once she was safe inside the lobby, Ravus was gone.


	11. Part 2:4

No one had been waiting for Andromeda when she returned to her suite. She was still fuming as she kicked her shoes off and proceeded to undo all of Michelle's hard work. It took longer to scrub the make-up off than it did to apply it. By then, her exhaustion overruled her temper and she crawled into bed.

By morning, Andromeda began to think about the consequences of her outburst. She had given the exact opposite of a good impression to the most important people at the ball. Ravus deserved more than the outburst she had given, but she had probably been a little too harsh towards the Oracle. Then again, there was something about Lunafreya's mannerisms and grace that was unbearable. Still, Andromeda was surprised that she remembered her from somewhere, even if she wasn't aware what.

The bruise from Glauca's grip had finally changed to splotches of brown and blue. It was tender to the touch. Ravus might have been somewhat attentive to her, but Andromeda did not expect to see him again after offending him so much. His superior seemed to know more than he should. Even though Ardyn may have spoken to him, it wasn't likely that Glauca was going to let her go.

She was left alone for the morning. She was glad for some alone time, but she also realized how completely alone she was. It wasn't possible to have friends in Niflheim, and she had had no intentions of making any at the ball. She thought she had had no expectations for it, but perhaps she had been expecting everyone to be more cordial, continuing to lie to her that the Empire would be kind to her.

It was all of her lies that caught their attention. Ardyn's alibi wasn't enough. After Andromeda's stunt, it was probably back to Verstael's laboratory. Linda would be captured by spies and brought to Niflheim. All because Andromeda lost her temper. Had she remembered the consequences, she might have kept her mouth shut.

It was afternoon by the time Michelle appeared. They hardly spoke as the assistant led the way, as if she had heard what had happened. Up until the end, Andromeda had done well. They hadn't discussed how to speak to royal heirs. It hadn't seemed like Lunafreya had minded, but everyone else had.

A taxi took them to a museum. Andromeda didn't understand why until they entered and Ardyn was waiting. Her shoulders slumped as Michelle excused herself to the coffee shop tucked in the corner.

Just as she approached the counter, she stopped. Everyone stopped. Whatever they were doing—walking around the lobby, conversing, or drinking—they froze in the action. There was no movement or sound anywhere.

"Shall we, then?" Ardyn tilted his head towards her. Andromeda rolled her eyes and fell into step with him. "Did you enjoy the ball last night?"

"I upset the deputy commander." She crossed her arms, noting the art displays they passed. The ball had been a complete disaster; why were they in an art museum? "So much for a good impression."

"You did wound his pride, but you are hardly the first person to do so." Ardyn dismissed it. "Lady Lunafreya seemed to like you. It's not everyday that a commoner such as yourself gets to meet a princess."

Andromeda only grunted in return. Any other commoner would have clamored for the princess's attention. Instead, she only thought that Lunafreya was slightly annoying.

"Well, I see you are 'not like the other girls'." Ardyn lowered his voice, as if he was disappointed by her incoherent response. "Though what you said has piqued my curiosity. Your parents were part of the resistance."

Andromeda looked at some paintings of basic shapes. She didn't want him to talk about her family. "Yeah. They died when Niflheim invaded, just like so many others."

"And you were caught in the fires."

She didn't want to give him the answer that he already knew. She had never been able to deny the fires. The scars were too obvious, and people talked. If she was lucky, though, she could go a long time without thinking about it.

"The village was bombed. Just about everyone there was part of the resistance." Andromeda corrected his assumption. She hadn't been anywhere near the Oracle's home, and should have been left alone. Niflheim was thorough in their attacks, ensuring that no help would come.

There was hardly anything left for Ardyn to discover about her. She had her name and a goddess—an absent one, but one who had given her powers nonetheless. Her birthplace was of little interest, really. It was just a helpful distraction.

"And what ways did your village practice?" Ardyn asked, remaining pleasant as he continued to get answers.

Andromeda glanced around the next hall they had entered, filled with paintings of the gods and all sorts of other celestial beings. It was ironic. "We didn't believe in the gods."

That was not true. She had only been twelve when the village was destroyed, but they had all explained enough to her by that time. The gods were common knowledge; most chose to simply not follow them. Etro was the deity of choice among those that did follow a god, mostly because of a long tradition of doing so. One of the many shocks Andromeda had experienced after leaving Tenebrae was how no one else in the world seemed to know of her.

Her village's isolation had kept it behind. It was probably different now; they had always thought the war wouldn't come to them. She had to wonder if everyone else had left too.

They were far from the Lucian king's Crystal and any sort of shrine. Despite that, Andromeda felt the same sort of dread while standing before a large painting of Bahamut. She tried not to let it show, but Ardyn had stopped to admire it. She chose to ignore it. Only the Six were distinguishable in these paintings. She didn't know what all of the lesser beings were supposed to be.

"Do you still hold to that?" He asked with a smug smirk. "I could summon Ifrit again, but he does loathe being summoned over nothing. You wouldn't want to catch his wrath."

"I guess not." She grumbled. "And before you ask again, no, the gods did not give me my power."

"Perhaps not, but Ifrit was not the first one you've met, was he?" Ardyn had noticed her lack of attention to the painting. The smug smirk was more irritating when he was looking at her with it.

Andromeda didn't answer, giving a stubborn look of defiance at the floor. She had never actually seen Bahamut as she had Ifrit and Etro. Hearing his voice had been more than enough.

Ardyn continued to smirk. "Are you afraid of the gods?"

"Is there a point to this private tour?" She finally snapped at him. The only reason he remained pleased was because it gave him the answer he was looking for.

He resumed walking. "Keeping your power contained has made you restless. You need to release all that pent-up aggression. I've been told of some insurgent camps. They're pesky little things that aren't worth the attention of our generals. So we'll send you in, you'll work your magic and destroy them, and we'll pick you up afterwards. Simple enough?"

Andromeda wondered if he was serious; his glance back at her told her he was. "I won't do it."

"Oh, but you will. You owe it to Niflheim. It wasn't a backwoods medicine man who brought you back from the brink of death. They would have given up on you. It was the Empire's doctors that tended your wounds." Ardyn stopped again to lecture her.

"Niflheim bombed my home!"

"And that was your parents' doing for taking part in the resistance. No one was hurt who didn't fight back. They made their choice, putting you in the crossfire." Somehow, he could say these things with a smile. "Face it: you owe your life to the Empire."

She refused to believe it. Maybe someday he could get her to admit to hearing Bahamut speak before, but she would never believe that Niflheim actually did something good for her. Andromeda had spent most of her life in hiding because of the Empire. It was their doing that caused her to get powers in the first place. After all of the threats, now she was some sort of tool for them.

"Need I repeat the consequences for your insubordination?" Ardyn asked with some impatience in his voice. "You should keep that anger in mind. You'll need it soon."

He turned his back towards her and began walking again. Andromeda sulked quietly behind him. She didn't pay attention to the rest of the exhibits or where they were going. In a short while, they returned to the entrance. Everyone had begun moving again, as if nothing had happened. He left her with the assistant again after another one of his smug smirks.

* * *

Michelle already knew that Andromeda was leaving the next day without having to be told. In truth, she had probably been told before Ardyn even announced his latest scheme to Andromeda.

There wasn't much preparation to be done. Michelle had no idea what the departure was about, and Andromeda wasn't going to explain it. She sulked for the rest of the day as she tidied up the hotel suite. There had been instructions sent that she wasn't to take anything with her. As far as either woman knew, Ardyn would continue to pay for the suite.

He was there at the aircraft runway to see her off. He didn't say anything; he just made certain that she followed the Imperial officer onto the airship.

The officer looked like any other Andromeda had seen throughout the week. He wore a long grey coat, a common article in the Imperial military. He observed her critically with small and narrow eyes. She returned a scowl of her own as she paused in front of him for a moment. He gestured silently for her to move forward onto the plane. Andromeda obeyed, all too aware of the eyes watching her back.

The airship was mostly empty. The officer hadn't even come with a troop of Magitek soldiers. He followed behind her, shutting the hull door and going to the bridge. Andromeda took the first seat she found there. She didn't look out the window as the airship left the ground.

* * *

The flight lasted several hours, of which Andromeda and the Imperial officer sat in complete silence. It suited her just fine, although she became restless after a couple of hours. Wherever the rebel camps were, they were far from Niflheim. As Ardyn had said, they weren't worth the capital's attention while so far away.

Finally, the airship descended to the ground, surprising Andromeda by the movement. Once it was on the ground, the Imperial officer led the way out of the airship just as wordlessly as when they had entered it.

It came as no surprise that they were in a base, the ground covered entirely in a layer of concrete, which rose as towering walls around the perimeter. Despite the many giant mechs stationed throughout the base and the haphazardly-placed rows of shipping containers, the concrete walls of the base could still be seen over everything. What lied beyond the walls could not been seen. The only movement came from the Magitek soldiers, most of whom simply patrolled about.

The officer continued walking as they exited the airship. Andromeda knew enough to follow along. She had no idea how long she would be stuck here. There weren't any other humans in sight.

"Let's get a few things straight." The officer suddenly spoke with a quiet voice, but she could hear him well enough. "My name is General Dalton Lysander. You will address me as 'sir'. This is not a training base. I've been told that given your circumstances, you require particular attention."

At that he spared a glance back at her, his eyes narrow as they had been when they left Gralea hours ago. Andromeda said nothing, noting a nearby troop that stood at attention, the red glowing orbs in their chests pulsing slowly.

Dalton continued. "I've been assigned the task of ensuring your cooperation here. Should you give too much resistance, I've been told to send you back and Chief Besithia will deal with you. But I'm sure I can handle you. You are the only recruit here. There are only a couple of humans here at all. Therefore your training will be handled by me directly."

He paused again. As it continued to be silent, Andromeda realized that he was waiting for her to say something.

"Yes, sir." She mumbled. It seemed to be the right thing to say in the situation.

"Louder!" Dalton barked. She was startled by how loud his voice suddenly became.

"Yes, sir!" Andromeda answered just as loudly as he had been, moreso out of spite than obedience. He might hit her for such insolence, but that didn't scare her.

He only sneered down at her for the attitude. "Training begins now."

* * *

It was a couple of weeks before Andromeda was sent on her first "mission". She didn't know where she was for a long time; eventually she realized that she must be in Galahd, if nowhere else. It was the only place in the world that Andromeda knew to be mostly jungle, as she soon learned of the landscape outside of the base. Dalton never needed to tell her. He didn't really ever talk to her—only barked orders.

Andromeda's powers could do more than enough damage to the camps, but they couldn't always protect her from the occupants. She needed to know how to fend off direct contact. She already knew how to throw a proper punch and shoot a gun thanks to her time in Duscae, but the rebels would know more. The hope was that they wouldn't even know she was there. The sudden maelstrom was meant to raze their camp and kill them in the process, or at least chase them off. Niflheim would pretend they didn't have a hand in it, so there could be no retaliation against them.

There was a tight schedule at the base. The only time Andromeda stopped moving was when she was allowed to sleep. The base lacked the glamour of Gralea. Dalton obviously never had to train anyone before, and wasn't good at spoken instruction. Or patience, as Andromeda learned through the many times he bested her in training, quickly subduing her. At least all of it was more useful than ball dancing. If it all wasn't done on the part of a heartless Empire, she wouldn't have minded the new lifestyle. She was sheltered, fed, clothed, and there was always something to do—what more could she ask for?

Andromeda was no more compliant in the plan than when Ardyn explained it to her. Whatever place she would be sent to, the insurgents were the same as her parents had been. They fought for a similar idea, against the same enemy. Now she was held prisoner and used as a weapon by the enemy. Now she was the traitor.

Ardyn knew exactly what he was doing by putting her in this situation. Andromeda couldn't tell what he hoped to get out of it, except for a show of power. She didn't want to use her power. She didn't want to destroy the homes of freedom fighters, who had families just like hers. But the freedom of choice had been taken from her over two months ago.

* * *

There was a short flight in a small aircraft that took Andromeda and Dalton to the edge of a thick jungle. From there, he took the lead, cutting down vegetation to clear a path. No troopers followed them; she was to be completely alone. In broad daylight, daemons couldn't even be blamed for what was about to happen.

When the camp came into view, they stopped. A thick line of brush still hid them from the guards.

Dalton bent down and released the bracelet from Andromeda's ankle. She had lost count of how many days she had had it on. She had gotten used to its steadfast grip, constantly being restrained. It was a relief that it was finally taken away for a little while.

"Call when you're done." He tapped the side of his head where his own earpiece was. Andromeda had one just like it. She wished that could go away with the ankle bracelet. "And don't think about running."

"You don't want to stick around and watch?" She mumbled. He had yet to see what was so special about her. Verstael had loved to watch her powers, even if it wrecked havoc on his base and made the Magitek soldiers go berserk. Andromeda assumed all Nifs had that morose curiosity.

Dalton drew himself up as if to strike her, but held back. It was the first time she had spoken out against him, and probably the most she had spoken to him. In fact, she preferred their silent arrangement to only speak as much as they had to. It was not Dalton's job to extract secrets from Andromeda. She could keep them all she liked.

After another moment, he began walking away. She waited until she couldn't see him anymore before turning towards the camp.

Andromeda had hoped that no one would be home, but there was a lot of movement among the makeshift buildings. The couple of guards that she could see were not like the Empire's robot soldiers—one of them seemed to be staring off into space, completely oblivious to his job. The whole camp appeared more relaxed than what she was used to. It was an ant hill compared to the distorted glamour of Gralea, and she loved the camp all the more for it. She wished she was on their side.

She wasn't there to observe. Andromeda shut her eyes to pretend that she wasn't about to do what she had been told. She had to do it—there was no choice. She focused on bringing her power forth, but nothing happened for a couple of minutes. It had been much easier a month ago.

"Well?" A voice demanded in her ear.

Andromeda pressed a button to snap back, "It doesn't make it any easier knowing someone's watching."

She began taking Ardyn's advice. That fact alone made her angry. She hated just about everyone she knew in Niflheim. They only saw her as a tool to look down upon. So long as they had control of her, they weren't afraid of her. For once, it wouldn't be a bad thing to scare others away.

The small boost of frustration was just enough to get her powers started. The trees rustled above as Andromeda felt the shadows surface. She eyed the nearest lean-to, and it collapsed with a groan and a crack.

Immediately men swarmed to the scene and began digging. It seemed to get darker as the wind continued to pick up, sounding almost as if it carried whispering voices. Andromeda focused on manifesting more power.

Other buildings began to collapse easily, the shoddy work being no match for the shadows. Debris was picked up and thrown about. A fire started somewhere, feeding on whatever was thrown at it. Everyone scrambled about, pulling others out of the wreckage or gathering weapons to fight off an unseen enemy. She ducked lower in the brush, just in case.

She stopped focusing on the power, but as in Verstael's lab, it continued to feed off of her as it took on a life of its own. How long had it been since she had last used this power? As she hoped, some people began fleeing even deeper into the jungle. Many chose to stay and search the area. There were a couple rounds of gunfire as some thought they saw the enemy. They weren't dumb enough to blame the weather.

As a couple of armed people began approaching Andromeda's position, she glanced around for something to throw them off. There was a low tree branch. She concentrated on it, trying to will her power back under her control again. The branch broke off of the trunk and fell before the brush. Unfortunately, it landed on a woman. Two others pulled her away.

Andromeda felt awful, but she hadn't seen anyone die from the attack yet. Unable to find anyone, they scrambled into the jungle, knowing the terrain better than she did. The camp had been quickly brought down, having consisted of tents and shabby shelters.

Like any other time, Andromeda was finished, but her power was not. The area grew darker and the wind became stronger as it continued to rage. She didn't know if it was possible to stop it. Confident that she had had some control over what happened, she tried to will it to stop. It only went on.

Hunkering down, Andromeda tried to make herself as small as possible. She recalled years ago, when she had to wait out the storm in an old shed with Shelia. She wasn't so afraid of it now. As terrible as it was, it might be able to help her regain her freedom again.

Not this time, though. This time, she would do as told, returning to Dalton and waiting for the next order. It wasn't as though the rebels would be friendly towards a strange woman also running through the jungle. They would know it was her fault.

Running wasn't a good idea yet. Andromeda would bide her time, knowing that she had some control over her chaotic power after all.

The storm eventually passed, the last of its energy spent. She was exhausted, pulling herself up and trudging back on the path Dalton had made earlier. The shadows were gone, but it had only gotten slightly brighter. Night was approaching. The daemons would most likely take care of the remaining rebels. Andromeda couldn't help but feel she had a part in that.

She was met halfway by Dalton, who quickly snapped the ankle bracelet back in place. She didn't think she could muster any more energy for another attack, but she wasn't going to let him know that. She dreaded the whole situation, but at least one Nif seemed to be afraid of her.

* * *

It became routine, although the attacks were sporadic. Each day was the same, blurring together into a time she didn't give much attention to. Andromeda usually fell asleep on the way back to base, and it was usually about a day before she woke again. She was allowed that much rest. Then she was back to a tight schedule of training. It kept her busy.

In fact, knowing that she was just biding her time for the right moment, Andromeda threw herself harder into the training. She hardly spoke up or asked questions (not that she had done much of that before). She was just a reusable human bomb for them, after all. It was probably obvious what she had planned, but she began to doubt anyone could stop her, when the time came.

Andromeda had more heart in training, but she still loathed to attack rebel camps. Each one seemed busier than the last, as survivors clamored to other camps. They all seemed to catch on fire one way or another, usually with at least one explosion from their stock of weapons to start it off. Several insurrectionists died because of her power. A couple had even burned to death. It was difficult to sleep. She struggled with it for weeks, then came to the conclusion that if she could just escape, she could somehow make it right.

After four months of going deeper into the jungle to break up insurgent camps, Andromeda felt that she was finally ready to take off. She thought she had become a pretty good fighter. More importantly, her power had gotten stronger with each episode. There was no controlling it because it was not meant to be controlled—only influenced here and there.

Dalton never gave Andromeda advanced warning of when she would be sent out to attack a camp. She didn't know until she was ordered to board the airship that would take her somewhere close to the camp in question. Each time was an opportunity to try to slip away, but the situation was never quite right for it. She had to observe all sides of it: which directions the survivors ran off to, how much they bolstered their defenses, and what Dalton saw from his position, far away in safety. She could never be too sure about that last one.

* * *

The time finally came where the situation was just right. It started as any other excursion did: Dalton escorted Andromeda close to a camp's perimeter and left. She found a covered spot where she would be hidden from the rebels, and soon enough her power caused chaos for the whole camp.

With no one watching her, she had begun to attempt control occasionally over the shadows in order to divert debris from hurting anyone. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. This mission was becoming more of the latter as Andromeda also focused on where everyone was scattering. Stories of these sudden storms had to be getting around. From how the rebels ran for the trees, it was clear that they had since learned to stay at the camp was certain death. Especially if they stuck around to see the Imperial scouts that came through afterwards.

For the most part, they all seemed to be going north. Andromeda waited in her hiding spot until she had seen a majority of the rebels go in that direction. The storm continued to rage. Then she pulled the earpiece from her ear and dropped it on the ground.

In past missions, Dalton always knew just when Andromeda's power had exhausted itself. Most likely, he didn't wait too far away, observing from a safe distance until the maelstrom waned. Usually she followed his trail, returning to him of her own will. She assumed the earpiece was also a tracker. He would have to come find where she had left it this time.

Andromeda rushed through the foliage to get as far away as possible before Dalton would discover what she had done. At the same time, she tried to maintain some distance between herself and the rebels who had run off ahead. In the brief seconds when she was quiet enough, she could hear them calling to each other far off ahead, too far for her to understand what was being said. She followed their voices.

She didn't have much of a plan; she had simply waited for the right opportunity, becoming stronger and a better fighter in the meantime. Andromeda knew that the Galahdians wouldn't have sympathy for her. She also knew that Dalton was not stupid—he would have to be dealt with before she found the camp.

Something grabbed her from behind. For a brief moment, she thought it was the general, having caught up to her already. But it was too soon.

Andromeda was just as suddenly turned around and her back was shoved against a wide tree. A thick arm pinned her across the chest. A blade was put to her throat. She looked up to find herself face-to-face with a young warrior, no older than herself but with the hard expression of someone much older.

She grasped at the wrist of the hand wielding the long knife with both of her hands, using all of her strength to keep it from cutting into her skin. She could feel how sharp the blade was; he intended on killing her.

The man called Andromeda something she did not understand. She continued to fight against his strength.

"You need to go." She insisted, taking her eyes off of him for a moment to look up. The shadows and wind still raged in the trees above, throwing branches and plants all around.

"This is you." He accused in the common tongue. "Witch!"

Andromeda felt herself losing the battle against his one arm. "Not a witch! Go!"

He needed to leave before either the shadows or Dalton struck him down. Though she thought it wouldn't be a terrible thing if this man did slit her throat and left her to bleed out here. She had had worse near-death experiences. This would be better than whatever Niflheim would eventually do to her. At least in this moment, she experienced some freedom again.

Even with the thought of letting it happen, Andromeda felt the pressure against her throat lessen as she managed to push back against his arm. He was also wary of the storm. It distracted him from her.

"Go." She told him again, her voice even.

Something rustled in the brush to the right, catching both of their attentions. It wasn't from Andromeda's power. Someone else had caught up to them. There were no other rebels behind them.

She focused again on the shadows as they flit about the area. A particularly large one charged in the direction of the disturbance, throwing Dalton down as he came out from behind a tree with a gun raised. The pistol fired off into the trees above as it was dropped.

The rebel suddenly let go of Andromeda completely, surprised at the Imperial general's sudden appearance. Dalton was dazed for the moment, but he was already beginning to move again.

"Go!" Andromeda ordered. This time, the rebel finally listened after taking one last look at her. He ran northwards, to the others. She approached Dalton, still lying on the ground.

The pistol hadn't landed very far from his body. She lunged for it. He had to be dealt with before she went any further. As the only general of his base, it would be a long time before anyone in Galahd—or even Niflheim—realized that he was missing, slain somewhere in the jungle. By then, Andromeda hoped to be too far for anyone to find her again.

It wasn't her first kill. She had watched her powers kill plenty of the rebels. It must have done the same thing when she was in Verstael's laboratory, killing his assistants as the Magitek troopers became feral. Andromeda must have killed dozens of people with her power by now. What difference did it make whether her power killed someone or she pulled the trigger herself?

A hand snatched the pistol right before she did. It was suddenly cracked against her skull, knocking Andromeda aside. No sooner did she comprehend what had happened and the pain in the side of her head, was the inhibitor placed around her ankle again. The jungle was suddenly still.

Dalton stood over her, giving his usual sneer. "If you weren't so valuable to my superiors, I would finish you off right here."

He grabbed one of Andromeda's arms and roughly pulled her up. With a shove, he marched her back towards the fallen camp and beyond, where the airship was waiting.


	12. Part 2:5

Having failed to kill Dalton and escape, she knew the real punishment would come soon enough. The general saw to his own punishment in the meantime: they immediately began another training session once back at the base, keeping Andromeda from the rest she often needed after using her power. In addition, she wasn't allowed meals for twenty-four hours. She could only endure it, knowing that her one chance at escape was gone.

She was not sent out into the jungle anymore, but it was also a long while before an airship came. Andromeda began to think that her offense hadn't been severe enough for Dalton to return her to Verstael. In truth, he probably had his own plans for her. Every Imperial officer was the same.

Eventually, Ardyn appeared in his own personal airship. Andromeda climbed aboard alone, a glance at his face immediately rekindling her hatred for him. She had been hoping that she would never see him again.

"Well, you've gotten stronger." He remarked once they were in the air. There were no windows to look through. "Verstael sends his regards."

"Back to Gralea?" Andromeda looked around at the cargo they stood around. They were just nondescript pallets of supplies. It was better than looking at him, though.

"Not just yet. Besides, you'd hate it at this time of year. After all that hard work, I think a small reward is in order." Ardyn waited for another annoyed remark. Had he not been told of her insubordination? Even if she was desperate for conversation, she would rather it be anyone else.

He went on as she remained silent, unbothered by it. "I've decided to let you go home for the holidays."

Andromeda eyed him skeptically. "Which one?"

"Why, Tenebrae, of course!" Ardyn still loved theatrics. Her lack of a reaction didn't discourage him. "It's been a long time since you have seen it, hasn't it?"

Nine years, in fact. Andromeda was anxious at the news, though. Had she been returning on her own, she would be excited. But the Empire was behind her. They already controlled Tenebrae. She would be made to destroy any resistance fighters, the same that had helped raise her. She might even get the Oracle's attention again—an almost equally as dreadful thought.

He frowned as she continued to be quiet. "I hope you haven't turned native. The Galahdians wouldn't be merciful towards you after what you've done. I suppose your vacation is long overdue."

If he was involved, then it wouldn't be much of a vacation. Andromeda kept silent. Her escape attempt had to have been reported—why was she being "rewarded" then? What did Ardyn have planned?

"Oh, that's right. You don't have any family left in Tenebrae." He mentioned, as if he would have allowed her to see them. "Well, just as you kept your end of the bargain, so have I. Your aunt remains safe within Insomnia."

Andromeda hadn't given her much thought in the past months, although this compliance was in part to keep Linda safe. If she stayed within the city walls, it was likely they would never face each other again. It was what they both wanted.

Now Ardyn was disappointed. "I thought you'd like to know. You could show a bit of enthusiasm. It _is_ your homeland."

Andromeda muttered. "What is there to do in Tenebrae?"

"There's the Yuletide celebrations. The Empire is not as cruel as to ignore traditions." He offered trivially. "Lady Lunafreya will perform a ceremony. I'm sure she would love to see you again."

Again, she didn't care much for what he said. If Lunafreya was there, Ravus would be too. Both of them annoyed her. Andromeda didn't even want to celebrate the holidays like she used to. Escaping was more important, though it was doubtful she could try again in a different land.

Ardyn finally seemed to give up in getting a reaction, walking away. She waited alone for the rest of the trip.

* * *

The ship landed within sight of the Oracle's home, but it was clear that they would not be going there. With night approaching, Andromeda was dropped off at an inn. Ardyn paid the bill for a private room and service, then took off on "Imperial business". She didn't care once she had a home-cooked meal in front of her.

For months, she had been eating bland packaged food that she could only assume had been sent from Niflheim, the home of flavorless food. The Tenebraen meal she was given felt like the most luxury she had experienced since before this whole disaster began. The amount of flavor in it was surprisingly robust, with an aftertaste of sweetness. It wasn't quite what Andromeda remembered it being like, but she had lived in a more backwoods area compared to this cozy village in sight of Fenestala Manor.

Properly fed and left alone, she began to think of escape again. The season wasn't ideal—all of Tenebrae was already covered in snow. Nor was the hour; Andromeda would have to stay at the inn for the night. She could try to leave early in the morning. She had no way of knowing when Ardyn would appear again. Even in a packed inn like this, it would be difficult to give him the slip.

It was best to wait until during the ceremony, when everyone would be distracted by the Oracle. There was no doubt that the crowd would be large. It would be daylight, too. It wouldn't be easy to slip away in daylight, but there wouldn't be any daemons to worry about. Tenebrae should be easy to traverse after months in thick jungles.

Andromeda slipped the dinner knife under her sleeve once she was finished. She found some of her clothes from Niflheim lying on the bed. They looked practical and warm enough for an escape through the dense forests here. She went into the private bathroom for a shower. When she returned, the empty plate had been cleared away. She went straight to bed, enjoying comfort for probably the last time.

* * *

There was no rush in the morning. Andromeda did her best to dress up with what she was given, making sure the knife was secure underneath her sleeve without cutting into her skin (rather easy, since it was just a dinner knife). She _was_ going to a ceremony. Most would say she was lucky to see Lunafreya twice in a lifetime.

She waited for Ardyn to come fetch her. He was slightly annoyed for having to do so.

"Did you have a change of heart overnight?" He asked over his shoulder as he led the way out of the inn. He wore the same layers of clothes as he did in Gralea. Considering how much colder it was here, it was strange that he wasn't wearing even more layers.

"I suppose so." Andromeda agreed, going along with his friendly conversation for once. "I might as well make the most of the holidays if you're allowing me to." It wasn't easy being polite to Ardyn; the snide comment had slipped out.

Luckily, her remark only amused him. "Haven't I been generous all along?"

She didn't bother to answer. The generosity came at a price that she was reluctant to pay. It would come to an end eventually. Running away would expedite it. Having second thoughts, Andromeda considered what would happen when she was captured again. Could she really escape the Empire? They would go after Linda, but she questioned whether Niflheim really could kidnap her from behind Insomnia's walls. By now, it was clearly an empty threat. As for herself, Andromeda hoped she died from exposure before being caught again. She was going to die, whether out in the open or in the confines of an Imperial base. It was better to take the chance for freedom than to remain a helpless prisoner.

They continued walking in silence until the crowd of people came into view in a clearing. The floating isles above cast gloomy spots, but the stage on which Lunafreya would stand was in direct sunlight. Before joining the people, Ardyn gave a bow.

"I'll leave you here. More Imperial business, I'm afraid. These traditions only continue because we allow them to, as you say." He turned away. "Do enjoy yourself."

Andromeda didn't wait to see him go before she slowly joined the crowd, taking note of her surroundings for anything useful. The large crowd offered plenty of distraction on their own. What attracted her attention the most was a well-decorated carriage off to the side. Two white chocobos were harnessed to it.

The crowd erupted as Lunafreya finally appeared before them. As always, she was wearing a white dress, the sleeves and skirt long to keep her warm. Andromeda made to approach the carriage until she saw that Lunafreya wasn't alone: a woman wearing much darker clothing stood behind her.

It was the witch from the dream long ago. Just as Andromeda picked up on her, so too did the other woman seem to look in her direction. She kept her eyes closed, remaining expressionless. Andromeda stood still as the crowd settled down. The other woman couldn't possibly know she was there. When Lunafreya began singing, she slipped over to the unattended carriage.

The chocobos perked up as they were approached. Andromeda hid behind the carriage as the ceremony went on. Surrounded by complete silence, Lunafreya's voice sounded ethereal. She didn't understand the words, assuming it was some ancient hymn to the gods. The whole event gave her a bad feeling.

Taking out the knife from under her sleeve, Andromeda found the seam of the ankle bracelet's box and jammed the blade through it. She was given a nasty shock that left her foot feeling numb. The bracelet fell off, just as she had hoped.

She then turned to the nearest chocobo, thankfully hidden by its body, and began to undo the straps that tethered it to the carriage. It was without a saddle, but riding bare back couldn't be too much different. She could easily tell which straps to unhook, leaving the bridle on the chocobo. As soon as it was free, Andromeda began to lead it away into a copse of trees. Once there, she lifted herself onto its back and urged it to start walking again.

Taking a couple of steps, the chocobo decided to give a loud "kweh", almost interrupting Lunafreya's song if she wasn't so focused on it. Its partner, still tethered to the carriage, gave a "kweh" in return.

Andromeda dug her heels into the chocobo's hindquarters, and it broke into a sprint. She kept her head down to keep the wind from getting in her eyes, guiding the giant bird towards the forest path. They passed a few figures too quickly for her to tell who they were.

The chocobo ran too fast for her to tell if they were being followed. They were well ahead of anyone who would try to chase after them. Unfortunately, nothing could be done about the tracks left in the snow. Andromeda urged the chocobo on.

After awhile, she veered off the path and into the trees. The chocobo slowed down as it dodged around trees and brush. Chocobos weren't good at dense areas like this. Luckily, they had a head start on everyone else. The footprints were harder to track now as well.

They sped on for much of the day. They passed a couple of villages. Andromeda didn't give them a second glance; it was still too close to the Manor. She planned to go much deeper into the forest, to the distant villages in the north where she had lived.

By late afternoon, the chocobo had slowed down considerably. She was starving. She regretted not planning this more thoroughly by bringing food, but that would have been too suspicious. Winter was a terrible time for foraging.

The day was short. It gradually became darker in the forest. Andromeda glanced around anxiously until she finally spotted a faint blue glowing in the distance. She guided the chocobo over to it, dismounting after it climbed the stone platform. Ancient sigils radiated blue underneath the layer of snow.

She dug around in the snow to uncover the fire pit. It hadn't been lit since the snow had fallen. She dug at a lump nearby to find a small stack of firewood covered by a tarp, miraculously still dry. She was glad to see that the practice of chopping firewood for the next camper was still around. Andromeda hurried to start a fire. As it became darker, it also became colder.

The chocobo had strayed a little, digging in the snow for something green to eat. She stayed on the haven. Daemons would soon appear. Then she would see if it was true what they said about havens.

Andromeda's hands were stiff from the cold and the ride. It took a long time for her to light the fire, causing her to worry that she had forgotten what her father had taught her so long ago. Eventually a spark ignited the kindling and everything else. She kept close to warm herself.

The chocobo returned to the haven, though it was unclear if it found anything to eat. She watched it settle down to rest, then carefully moved to lean against it for warmth. Andromeda kept an eye on the fire. She had enough wood to get through the night, but not enough time to gather more for the next guy.

Occasionally, daemons cried out in the darkness. They never sounded close to the haven. She leaned back to look at the stars through the canopy above, petting the chocobo's neck. She sighed. Starved and freezing, the next few days looked grim even if she manage to evade capture. Yet knowing freedom once again was worth it. With that thought, she began to think that the next few days would work out somehow after all.

* * *

It was just before dawn when Andromeda woke and realized she had let the fire go out. Between the cold and the previous day's ride, she was stiff all over. The chocobo only seemed to be hungry.

There was just enough light to see the daemons prowling around. As it became a little brighter, they disappeared in dark puffs of smoke. It was safe to move again.

Another glance around the area assured Andromeda that she was the only person out here. Mounting the chocobo again, she kept an eye out for a village or anywhere she could get food. They had to have covered a long distance in the previous day. It would be okay to stop somewhere for a time.

The chocobo wasn't happy to be ridden again, so Andromeda didn't push it to run. She was also too tired for that. They plodded on. For a long while, it seemed like they were the only ones in the world.

As she was rocked on the chocobo's back, Andromeda relaxed. All would be fine once they found a village. She remembered the generosity her village had had for travelers—even the ones that came on errands from the Manor. The kindness should be tenfold during the holiday season. Andromeda came with no agenda. She was just trying to get home, at last. She should have never left it to begin with.

The Imperials knew that her home was in Tenebrae, but it was a big peninsula to search for just one woman. They didn't know exactly where her home village was; there were dozens to search. Andromeda knew the forests better than they did. She could easily slip away at sight of any Imperial activity. Hopefully, she would just fade into obscurity with time. She would hide away, never again to be used by the Empire and be made to attack Galahdians, who were fighting for their freedom just as her parents had done.

It wouldn't make up for what Andromeda had done, but she couldn't accomplish everything. It was a good plan for the rest of her life. It was the first time she ever made a long-term plan.

Andromeda was jarred when the chocobo decided to start sprinting, but it was too late. There was a snarl and the bird fell underneath her. She was thrown off onto the ground.

She slowly pushed herself up to see the chocobo on its back, thrashing its wings and kicking at a large tan coeurl as it went for the bird's neck. It was already finished. They tussled only for another minute. Andromeda still had the dinner knife on her, but realized that it wouldn't do anything against a wild animal. Then she remembered that she was no longer restrained.

As the chocobo finally stopped moving, the coeurl turned towards Andromeda and charged. She had no time to focus before it crashed into her, digging its claws into her side. She jabbed with the knife and missed. This was a lot harder than fighting another human.

The coeurl ran past her, turning to tackle her where she was on the ground. A wind suddenly picked up. There was a crack and a thump, quickly followed by another snarl from the coeurl. Andromeda pushed herself up again, gripping her bloodied side.

A thick tree branch had fallen onto the large cat, pinning it to the ground. It was quickly getting free. She looked up at the creaking trees. The nearest one gave a long and loud groan as it suddenly came crashing down onto the coeurl. It had surely broken the large cat's back now.

Like before, the power did not die away when the danger was over. It picked up snow and other debris to throw around. Andromeda ducked as she checked on the chocobo. It was dead, its throat torn out.

The coeurl still snapped and growled where it was, dying much more slowly. She would have slit its throat if there was a guarantee she would not be bit in the process. Instead, she tried to get the chaos to stop, having no better luck than her previous attempts. Dodging rocks and fallen branches, Andromeda began to slowly move in a direction. The chaos would have to end soon.

When it did, she felt even more exhausted than usual thanks to her hunger and the new wound in her side. The blood was hot, but the air quickly cooled her skin. She had another reason to find a sympathetic village. Moving slowly, she knew it was going to take awhile. However far north she had gone, villages were few and far between.

After the coeurl attack, it seemed like Andromeda was the only one in the world again. As tired as she was, she could be walking through a dream for all she knew. The forest was exactly as she remembered it from her childhood, although she had never been in this particular area.

Starving, cold, and now bleeding, she briefly entertained the idea that her departure from her village had all been one awful dream. But it hadn't been all terrible, and that's what reminded her that it had actually happened. She had met Hira, and then Sheila and Trevor and the boys. She would never see any of them again, but she had known that months ago. They had been real.

Andromeda seemed to be the only person in the forest. The only noise came from her feet as they crunched through the snow. The whole situation felt unreal, thanks to how lightheaded and dizzy she was becoming. Many times, she wanted to sit and rest, but knew it would be certain death. She had to find help, especially before the Imperials caught up to her. So she kept walking.

She expected someone to join her at her side, whether it be her father hunting or her mother tracking. Someone to guide her home. But neither appeared. Andromeda was alone.

* * *

She almost didn't notice the trees thinning out as she stumbled upon a small path, nor the small cabins that came into view. She almost didn't see the two children playing in the snow until she just about walked into them. They hadn't seen her either, backing away in surprise. She suddenly realized what she had stumbled upon.

"Hey miss, what's wrong?" The boy piped up. Judging by the similar looks, the two were brother and sister.

"Is there a healer here?" Andromeda offered a weak smile, clutching her side to hide the wound. If it was anything like her home, half of the women in the village would qualify as a healer.

"Oh yeah! We'll take you to granny." The boy took her free hand and pulled her along. She had to wonder if she had been this assertive as a child.

He dragged her to a house somewhere in the middle of the tiny village. His sister followed. There was an thin old woman tending to the hearth when they entered. The children made a fuss of taking their snow-covered clothing off. The old woman approached quickly for her age, looking Andromeda over.

"Is it the Scourge?" She demanded. Andromeda lifted her hand from her side. It was still wet. The old woman relaxed slightly. "On the table, then."

There was a long table in the center of the room. Andromeda clumsily laid on her uninjured side on it. The woman set to work, lifting her shirt for a better look.

"Where are these scars from?" She asked sharply, gingerly pressing around the new wound.

"Gallthaeus."

The old woman didn't react to the village name. She turned to her grandchildren. "Broin, get a broth going. Caireann, help me dress the wounds."

Andromeda shut her eyes as the wound was cleaned up, then poked and prodded at some more. Before she knew it, though, a bandage was put over it, and cloth was wrapped around her middle to keep it there. What really roused her was the smell coming from the stove.

She slipped from the table and into one of the chairs. A bowl of soup and a plate of bread was put before her, and it quickly disappeared.

"Going to or coming from Gallthaeus?" The old woman asked after shooing the children away.

"Going to. I got lost." Andromeda mumbled. Though she was fed, she was too tired to talk much.

The old woman seemed to realize this. Instead of giving her more to eat, she had Andromeda strip her wet clothes off. She set up a sleeping mat in her own room, where no one would disturb her as she slept. Andromeda did just that as soon as she was left alone.

* * *

It was evening when Andromeda woke again. She found her clothes laying next to her head, dried and mended. She pulled them on and left the room, smelling a whole meal being prepared.

No sooner did she made an appearance was she set to work, helping to make dinner. Andromeda didn't complain. She owed this family a lot for helping her, but it wasn't likely she would be able to stay around long enough to pay them back. It turned out she had slept a whole day away; the Imperials would have caught up by now. For the moment, it was more important to eat.

When everything was ready, the old woman called the children inside. They were followed by an older boy with the same brown hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. He glanced at Andromeda, then entered one of the bedrooms. A moment later, an older man came out. Like the old woman, he didn't seem enthused to have a guest. He tolerated it nonetheless.

"We never got your name." The old woman mentioned as they all sat down to eat.

Andromeda pondered it, thinking the same about her. Niflheim was looking for Andrea. She had to wonder if she could now use her real name, among other Tenebraens. They certainly wouldn't care so much about what her papers said. Then again, when the Empire came through later, they would know it was she who had stayed here, no matter what name she used.

"Andrea. I never got yours either." She pointed out, trying to not fill her plate up too much.

"Blath. That's my son-in-law, Cailean. You've met those two." The old woman gestured towards everyone. "Keagan is in the other room."

It then fell quiet. Andromeda tried practice the manners she learned in Gralea, for as much as she could remember of them, then realized how odd it looked to these people. They would think it ridiculous to have two different forks set at a place. She picked up on their mannerisms instead.

"Thank you for helping me." She spoke up. They might later be made to regret it.

"Of course. Though you picked a poor time of year for travel." Blath stated with a frown. Andromeda had forgotten how much the people of the region didn't like outsiders.

"No one talks about Gallthaeus these days." Cailean added. "It's almost a ghost town after what the Empire did to it."

"Were you really there when they attacked?" Broin blurted out, having much more emotion than his elders.

"Yes. I was only a little older than you." She wondered what more she could get out of them about her home. "My parents were in the resistance."

"Queen Sylvia told all of those 'freedom fighters' to disband before the attack." Cailean explained pointedly, "Because of them, the Empire came down on all of us. They'll do so again if they hear of any upstarts."

Andromeda hadn't thought much about what happened in Tenebrae after she was taken away. As a child, she assumed nothing happened because she wasn't there to see it. Everything that had mattered to her was gone. Regardless, there were still a lot of people left behind that had to deal with the Imperial Army.

"I'm not going to restart the resistance movement." She shook her head. "I'm going for family."

If it was a ghost town, Niflheim had no reason to think twice about it. Andromeda might be able to hide there for a long time.

Despite her clarification, the meal remained awkward. It was odd for a family to be so grim at this time of year. She kept her mouth shut. Gallthaeus was not held in the regard she thought it was.

She helped clean up after dinner. Everyone then did their own thing, as if she wasn't there. Andromeda milled around for awhile, thinking over what she had learned, and how she was going to make the rest of the journey. It would be a lot harder without a chocobo.

She eventually noticed Broin peeking into the bedroom Keagan was in. Something was odd about that room. Everyone else seemed to be avoiding it; they wouldn't even look towards the door. She snuck up behind him.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped at her voice, turning around with big guilty eyes. "Watching Mom."

Andromeda frowned. "What do you mean?" She hadn't thought there was a mom.

Instead of answering, he took her hand and pushed the door open. Keagan was dozing off in a chair next to it. A shotgun rested in his lap.

There were a lot of candles for one room, making it bright. A large bed took up most of the floor. Its only occupant was a woman, dark blotches covering every part of her exposed skin. Her wrists were bound to the bedposts. One hand was completely dark and deformed.

Keagan stirred in his chair. "Broin! What are you doing?"

"I wanted to see Mom. Andrea did too." The boy said innocently, almost making it Andromeda's fault that they were in the room.

"Well you can't. She's sick."

She looked between them, then at their mother, who gave a soft sound that was half-groan and half-growl. The noise probably bothered her. Andromeda pulled the small piece of quartz out of her pocket. She had been through so much, but somehow managed to keep it on hand. Maybe she could actually do something good for once.

"Do you know where there are more of these?" She asked Broin, making sure he clearly saw what she held.

"Granny keeps some in her room. I don't know why." He nodded.

"Bring as many as you can."

He took off into the next room. Keagan put the gun down.

"What's the point?" He scoffed.

Andromeda ignored him. She tried remembering exactly how she had done it before with Ian, so long ago. She hadn't had a chance to do it since. She hoped whatever Broin would bring would be enough.

He returned a moment later, the bottom half of his shirt folded into a pouch to carry the crystals. She set them on the table next to the bed with his help. They were bigger than hers was; the largest bigger than her fist. She shooed him a small distance away once they were all set.

Placing one hand on the largest crystal, Andromeda tentatively took hold of the woman's normal hand. She gave a start at the touch. Andromeda focused, drawing the Starscrouge through her and into the crystal. Though she hadn't perform it in four years, it came back naturally. She hadn't had to practice this power much.

Once the large crystal had darkened completely, Andromeda moved her hand to the next one in line. She watched the mother closely as the dark blotches faded from her skin. The deformed hand uncurled itself from its club shape into almost-normal fingers. At last, there seemed to be nothing more in her. Andromeda let go of her first, then the current crystal when she was sure she herself was clean. The mother gave a sigh in her sleep.

"What are you doing?"

Andromeda and the boys jumped, turning around to see Blath in the doorway. She looked between all of them, then pushed them all aside as she approached the bed. She stopped once she saw the clear skin, the almost-normal hand, and the three now-blackened crystals.

"What did you do?" She demanded, turning towards Andromeda.

"She made Mom all better!" Broin cheered. His sister and Cailean now squeezed into the room. "She's the Oracle!"

"No I'm not." Andromeda quickly corrected him. "It's just something I can do."

Blath took a closer look at her sleeping daughter, then turned back to her. For once, she was not scowling at all, but relieved."You saved her. Thank you."

Andromeda raised a brow at that, surprised at the genuine gratitude. She wasn't going to be thrown out into the night for impersonating the Oracle. She had never had witnesses before; Ian had been sworn to secrecy. She only nodded in response.

Blath made everyone except for Cailean leave the room so the mother could finally get some peaceful rest. She took the crystals back to her room, except for the dark ones. Andromeda assured her that they could be made pure again. They would have to wait until morning.

After much giddy talk, the children were finally put to bed. Their giddiness had exhausted her. She preferred how Ian had reacted—she didn't think he ever thanked her for saving him. It had annoyed her then, but it was fine now. She hadn't seen him in a couple of years. He had hated her at first; healing had only made him change his attitude somewhat. Despite that, Andromeda missed him.

* * *

Andromeda woke only a couple hours later. At first, she didn't know why. Everything was still in the house.

That was the problem. Everything was too still. Blath did not breathe where she laid in her bed. There wasn't the slightest sound of other people sleeping. Every light had gone out.

Andromeda stood from the sleeping mat and left the bedroom as she heard the latch on the front door lift. It opened with a creak. She knew who the figure was without having to see his face.

Whether or not it was a good idea, she summoned up her chaotic power, causing everything in the house to rattle and fall out of place. Ardyn entered, coming towards her. Andromeda took a few steps towards him as well, willing the dining table to slam into him. It caught him off-guard just long enough for her to sprint out the door.

It was impossible to see where she was going. She was no safer outside with Ardyn behind her and daemons lurking among the trees. A loud howling sounded from all around, as if they could smell her.

A flash of pink grazed her leg, leaving behind a sharp stinging sensation. She fell into the snow, then was pulled up to her knees by her hair. She hissed and tried to pull free. The forest was full of shrieks and howls.

"Now you really shouldn't have done that." Ardyn scolded. "And after all I've done for you. You really are ungrateful!"

His boot caught her in the side, displacing the bandage. Andromeda yelled as he dropped her. She quickly spotted a branch above them.

Instantly, she was picked up by the neck. She tried to break his grip with both of her hands, her feet dangling. Ardyn was stronger than a normal man. It had been proven long ago that he was not normal.

"None of your little tricks. They're old hat." He tightened his grip at her feeble attempts to break free. "But you have a new one now, don't you?"

Andromeda couldn't respond. She gave a choked noise as it was getting harder to breathe.

"What god gave you the power to heal others of the Starscourge? Do you think you're a savior?" Ardyn spat. "No more secrets now! There is always a price to pay."

She couldn't attempt to understand what he meant by that, but suddenly she felt it. A heaviness slipped from him into her. She managed to cry out, suddenly feeling the weight of a house beam on her ribs, the heat of the flames all around, and the smell of burning flesh.

"_Andromeda_."

He raised his face, now a chalky white with black, inky trails of Starscourge. His gold irises bored into her. She gave a weak, mangled shriek. His laughter drowned out the sounds of the forest and Andromeda's power.

A bright light suddenly illuminated from behind her. Ardyn scowled, squinting at the source. It pulsed, throwing him back. Andromeda fell to the ground as he lost his grip on her. She gagged and took great gulps of air.

The source—a towering white woman—suddenly stood before her. She had to squint as well. She noticed how the daemons had quieted and her own powers suddenly evaporated. Etro was standing in the physical realm.

"Hands off." She boomed.

Ardyn, like Andromeda, remained where he had fallen as he took in the new figure. She noted that his face looked human again. She could not forget what it was just moments before.

He rose with another laugh. "The great goddess, at last! Here to save your dear girl! But how powerful can such a nameless god truly be?"

He started to approach. Andromeda stood carefully. She wasn't going to run—not when Etro was right there. She hadn't spoken to her in a very long time. Now the goddess stood before Andromeda and Ardyn as a dark shape grew behind him, setting the ground ablaze.

Etro turned to her with concern. She made to touch Andromeda, and then everything was gone.


	13. Part 3:1

It was dark and silent for a long moment. Andromeda tried calling out for Etro, hoping that the goddess was still close, and Ardyn was not. He might have been strong, but he wasn't a god.

Suddenly she was standing in the familiar farmhouse kitchen. It was especially warm during the summer. The counters were crowded with pots and mason jars.

Sheila managed to make a small space for herself to cut vegetables. She didn't look away, but she knew she wasn't alone. "Andrea, could you take the jars out of the water?"

Andromeda didn't move. The jars would not break, and the pot wouldn't boil over. Everything was so vivid, as if she had never left. She wanted to believe that she was home somewhere. But she could never come back here.

A sob escaped her. Shelia dropped what she was doing and turned to her. She kept her voice down, in case anyone else was in the house. "Was there another accident?"

Shaking, Andromeda found it impossible to control herself under the older woman's gaze. In an instant, she was embraced and her hair pat. Sheila shushed her as she would with a child. Andromeda didn't mind being made small by her.

"I miss you." She croaked. There were so many other things to tell her. She tried, but when she started to say something, she kept stopping and began with something else. Finally, she concluded, "They know everything."

Sheila's grip tightened, then felt as if it was slipping. The whole scene began to fade. Andromeda tried to cling to her. She wanted to stay here forever.

"I tried to get you back." Sheila's voice quivered. "I really tried. Andrea-"

It felt as though something snapped, and Sheila and her kitchen were sudden pulled away from Andromeda. She cried out in the dark for her to come back. Then she continued crying alone.

* * *

She didn't know how long she had spent crying, but it eventually subsided. As Andromeda calmed down, she realized she wasn't in the dark, but in an open plain at night. With civilization far away, the stars were bright above her. More importantly, she wasn't alone.

Daemons stalked the area. They didn't pay attention to her, even if they did come close to her. They ignored her, as if she wasn't there.

Andromeda began to realize that she really wasn't there. She looked down at her hands, alarmed that she could see through them. Her whole body was an opaque shade of blue.

She looked at the sky for the longest time. Perhaps Etro's touch had killed her body, and she forgot to take the spirit with her to the afterlife

But Andromeda recalled death having a different feel to it. She still felt the same as if she was alive. In fact, she felt as if she were dreaming. Being dead and dreaming were not the same thing.

She was stuck in a dreaming form, probably far from where her body laid. It could be anywhere; she hoped Etro had moved it, but it was just as likely that Ardyn had snatched it away somewhere. Andromeda could not let go of this dreaming form and just return to the body. She felt a slight emptiness in its place.

It was tempting to stay in this form, the only way to escape from everything, but what could Andromeda accomplish here? Without her body, she wasn't much use in the physical realm. She didn't want to wander through others' dreams forever. She had no idea how much time had passed already.

Andromeda wandered the plains for the rest of the night as she pondered the possible places her body could be resting. The sun rose, vanquishing the daemons whose screams had been keeping her company.

* * *

She became aware again in a glade. She didn't remember losing awareness, and had no idea where she had gone in that time. Now she stood among people in the morning chill of spring. The Oracle's manor was off in the distance, blurred. This was a dream.

It couldn't be Andromeda's dream—hers always occurred at her family's home, just as it collapsed onto her. There was no roof over her head here. She looked to the three people she stood nearest to.

None of them were familiar, but the elegantly-dressed woman must have been the Queen. Andromeda had never really learned her name. A man in a dark suit stood to her left, and a very tall boy on her right. She could see the family resemblance between the Queen and her son—Ravus. The man in the suit couldn't be the king; Andromeda knew enough of the time herself to know that the king was already dead.

All three looked to the center, where the sun shone the most through the trees above. Two children were there. A dark-haired boy sat in a wheelchair. An older blond girl took both of his hands in hers.

Gunfire cut through the peaceful occasion as Magitek troopers suddenly appeared from behind. Everything turned to chaos. People began to flee. The man went for the children.

It was just a dream. Andromeda didn't think she could be hurt in them, but the panic affected her just the same as everyone in the dream. She avoided them as they ran by her until she saw the fire, causing her to freeze.

In all the chaos, she spotted Ravus on his knees. Glauca stood before him, massive sword raised.

"Ravus!"

The Queen suddenly appeared between them, and then she was not. Glauca was gone as well. Instead, Ravus knelt helplessly in front of the fire, his mother's body quickly burning away.

He looked to the man fleeing with both children. "King Regis! Help us!"

The man looked back as he was called, then continued to run. As he disappeared from the glade, everything faded away. No help came to Tenebrae.

* * *

The next thing Andromeda saw was much different. At first glance, she couldn't tell if she was in a dream or the physical realm.

Linda, looking the same as she had five years ago, sat at a table in a room much like the one Andromeda had been interrogated in by Verstael. Her heart dropped. Niflheim had abducted her aunt after all, just as they had promised. It was all her fault.

A man and a woman sat across from her at the table. Andromeda couldn't see their faces where she stood next to them. She paid more attention to Linda, wondering just how the Imperials had pulled it off. It didn't seem that her aunt could see her.

"A bus ride to Duscae is a pretty big trip for a kid to take alone." The woman pointed out. "And you arranged it overnight? What was the rush to get Andrea out of Insomnia?"

Linda squirmed in her seat. "Well, she never did want to move here. I have no way of providing a home at the moment. The shelter coordinator told me about a farm in need of help outside of the city. I thought she would be happier there than at a homeless shelter."

Andromeda could feel the interrogators frown. She did so as well. When had Linda ever cared about what made her happy?

"She was at the apartment when the incident happened?" The man asked.

"Yes." Her aunt mumbled.

"What happened?"

"Chad and I were arguing about... my lack of a job. Andrea came in in the middle. She was late for curfew, so they got into an argument about that. Then he went into the kitchen, and then the fire started." She explained meekly. It wasn't like her.

Her story was met with disbelieving silence. This wasn't Niflheim. Linda was still in Insomnia. This was just a memory. Of course the police would have found and questioned her eventually. Andromeda relaxed a little, although her aunt was doing so poorly. She must have been remembering the time with the Imperial officer, and the threat of deportation.

"And then you ran." The woman added. "Why?"

"I panicked."

"So you ran? You didn't call for help like the neighbors did—you took off and tried to hide in a homeless shelter. How did the fire start?"

Linda seemed to shrink her chair. "I don't know."

"Why else would you have run?" The woman insisted.

"Chad's story goes a little differently." The man brought up. Linda and Andromeda both raised their brows, surprised that Chad was _still_ alive and talking at the time. "He said all three of you were arguing, sure, but he mentioned some strange things started happening. He claimed things fell out of place and the lights were flickering. He accused Andrea of somehow causing it to happen."

She looked down at the table. "We've been having electric problems for awhile-"

"The electric company and the fire inspectors both said there were no electrical problems in the building." The man interrupted, sounding amused that she would try that excuse. "The fire only started because a cupboard crashed into the stove."

Linda sat still for a moment, then tried to brush it off with a smile. "You can't tell me that you think Andrea set it up somehow. Or that she made it all happen with magic. That's impossible. Chad can't have remembered it right."

"We don't know for sure until we speak with her." The man leaned back. "And I don't think you would have run from the scene if one of you didn't have some involvement in what happened."

She sat in silence for a long moment. They waited, having all of the time in the world. Andromeda noticed the one-way mirror, and wondered who stood watching on the other side. Someone was always watching in the same way that she could enter others' dreams.

"I don't understand what happened." Linda finally said slowly. "Those things didn't happen until she came in. I told her to stop, but I don't think she could."

It seemed the two interrogators got what they wanted. Andromeda's suspicions were proven true: her aunt had sold her out to Lucian officials after sending her away. It kept Linda safe in the city.

"Was that the first time something like that had happened with her?" The woman asked. She and the man were less tense now that they had gotten some truth out of Linda.

She continued to look down at the table in defeat. "No. When we first came to the city, she was alone in our first apartment one night and was spooked really bad. I just thought it was her own trauma."

"What do you mean by her trauma?"

"She was in a fire in our old home. Her parents died in it, but she survived." Linda explained.

"Where was your old home?" The man came to attention again.

"Old Lestallum."

It was like watching her own lies unravel. They would be proven false quickly; Andromeda had gone through the same thing. Their papers could pass in order to get them entry into the city, its workforce and its schools, but they didn't hold up when someone was looking for something wrong. These Lucians would soon learn that there hadn't been a fire in Old Lestallum.

Andromeda couldn't feel the old anger like she used to. After everything she had gone through in Niflheim, it seemed petty to be upset with her aunt. It didn't look as though Linda told the authorities anything willingly. She was a terrible liar. She gave as little information as she could, but it would undo everything she worked for soon enough. On the other hand, the Glaives had failed to bring Andromeda back to the city. They had all long since forgotten about her.

She stepped closer to her aunt. "Linda-"

At her name, she stirred in her chair. But everything faded away before Andromeda could say more.

* * *

She found herself standing in a dark and barren place, with massive, hellish hounds and daemons all around. A dark figure stood before her, but it wasn't big enough to be Ardyn. It had the same gold eyes as he did, though.

Then suddenly it was all gone. The circle of daemons gave way to blue light. Nothing else could be seen—not even the surface that Andromeda stood on. As far as she could see was blue. She struggled to see her own blueish ephemeral form.

Before her towered a giant suit of armor that she had seen in many shrines and works of art. It was more terrifying in person.

"_Usurper." _

She hadn't heard Bahamut's voice in years, but was no less afraid of it. She silently called for Etro's help. Andromeda wouldn't have come here of her own will. He had somehow summoned her. She wondered if he had done that years ago in a past dream as well.

_"Your continued existence will not stop the prophecy. Your goddess has no power. You will die at the hand of the Accursed."_

"I don't give a damn about your prophecy!" She shouted a little too hysterically up at him. She didn't even know what the prophecy was—why were so many people obsessed with an old fable? The only one she had heard speak of it was Verstael, who shouldn't have believed in anything but science. Neither he nor Etro had given a good explanation of it. "Let me go!"

_"You will be released when your body has finally perished so that you may pass on as you were meant to do." _Bahamut boomed. _"The sacrifices of the Oracle and the Chosen King will cleanse the world of the Scourge. The world will be reborn in light." _

Andromeda considered his words. She was his prisoner until her body, wherever it was, finally died. It could happen at any moment, or years from now. What could she do against a god?

Etro had mentioned the sad fate of Lunafreya and this Chosen King before. Now Andromeda understood what it meant. Only their deaths would wipe out the Starscrouge from the world entirely. She might not have liked Lunafreya, but she wasn't despicable—she only ever did good in the world, never making a selfish decision. It was why Etro pitied her so much. Someone like that should be rewarded by the gods. Regardless of how good Lunafreya was, Bahamut wanted her dead.

"It doesn't have to end like that!" Andromeda argued. She was no less afraid of the god, but what was the worst he could do? Kill her on the spot and prevent her from crossing over into the afterlife? Not many actually met a god. "Why must the Oracle, the only hope we've had, be sacrificed? Countless people have been turned to daemons or died in your name! Isn't that enough?"

_"Our power comes at a price that only the Oracle and Chosen King can return." _The god roared. _"The exiled goddess's insolence will end with your death as well." _

Andromeda tried to summon her powers in order to escape, but quickly realized that wouldn't work. Still in her dreaming form, she tried to will herself somewhere else, to any sleeping mind outside of this prison. When that wasn't working fast enough, she tried silently calling Etro again. If Bahamut knew all that she was attempting, he ignored it. He simply waited for her death, as if it would be very soon.

They existed in silence for awhile. Andromeda was so focused on calling on the goddess that she didn't notice how the lighting began to dim. Her train of thought was broken as Bahamut roared again.

_"You dare enter this realm-"_

The rest was cut off as he disappeared in darkness, but his thundering continued.

Some light returned, but it was still dim. The surroundings were new: the dark chamber was round and spacious. Most of the bluish lighting in the room came from the center, where the giant Crystal stood.

Andromeda was somehow sprawled before it, still ethereal. She looked it over for a moment as the thundering subsided, wonder if she had somehow been kept inside of it. She scrambled away from it at the thought.

Looking around at the walls, she found that she wasn't alone in the chamber. A man in a dark suit stood a few feet away, looking at her with surprise.

He couldn't be the same king from Ravus's dream; he had grown much older since the fall of Tenebrae nine years ago. His hair had since grayed. His knees must have bothered him, as he took a couple of stiff steps towards Andromeda. He looked much more feeble in real life, just like the Emperor. He certainly couldn't be the Chosen King.

She stood. She was so sick of royalty, no matter which country they hailed from. She had more important things to do; she had to find her body before it died.

When Regis came close enough to Andromeda, she took a step back. He was between her and the door. She didn't want to try to go through him; perhaps she could go through the floor.

He stopped at her apprehension. "Who are you?"

His tone wasn't accusatory, yet she didn't think anyone but the king was allowed in this chamber. Andromeda wouldn't visit it voluntarily. She glanced at the door as she considered her answer. Either name came with a different sort of trouble.

She didn't think that she was taking too long to answer, but he asked another question. "What happened to you?"

She countered with a question of her own. "What year is it?"

There was no sense in wasting the energy to come up with a lie. What could Regis really do to her? Andromeda was far from his grasp. It wasn't as though her ghost could be arrested.

"753." He was baffled by her answer, but he began to understand something. "Which of the Six did this?"

"Ask your god." Andromeda muttered. She was tired of questions; she wasn't going to go through the interrogations again in Lucis. They honored the god that sought her death.

Before he could ask another question, she disappeared from the Citadel.

* * *

When she found herself walking through an open plain among daemons again, Andromeda knew that Insomnia was behind her. Since she had become stuck in this dream form, the new year had come. Judging from the lack of snow in the area, it had been a few months already. Was her body still alive somewhere? If must have been, if she was still able to roam like this.

She eventually noticed the jagged rock formations to her left. A large rock sat in the middle, with a spire erected on it. It glowed red and blue in the night. Andromeda wondered if the legend about the Disc and Titan was true. She heard nothing from him.

She continued wandering well into the daylight, undisturbed by daemons and wildlife alike. It seemed as though the wildlife could see her, but did nothing about it. It wasn't as if they could touch her anyway.

* * *

Then it was night again. Andromeda had wandered close to the road; she didn't recall specifically making the decision, but it made it easier to tell where she was going. No one was driving at the late hour to be startled by her appearance.

But then headlights appeared behind her, then swerved away as tires screeched. Andromeda turned, but the car was gone. It had never been there in the first place. In its wake, a woman laid face-down on the pavement, a pool of blood rapidly forming underneath her.

Andromeda knelt down next to her, glancing around for anything prowling in the night. She grasped a shoulder, surprised that she could touch her, and turned the woman onto her back.

Her front was much more grisly. Her nose was very broken, getting blood everywhere on her face. There was a large gash at her temple, but most of it was hidden by hair. Andromeda pressed a hand there, using the other to wipe blood and hair from the woman's face. She gave a moan.

Andromeda glanced down at the rest of her body. The legs weren't bent right. The blouse and blazer had been torn away from her chest, revealing a little bit of bruised skin. It felt as though she was slipping away from Andromeda's hands.

Then the woman and the roadside disappeared completely.

* * *

Nothing happened for a long time. Then Andromeda noticed wails and screams that steadily grew louder. The screams of daemons became overpowering, drowning out the human wails. She focused on the humans, though she wasn't sure how many there actually were. It was all the same noise from Verstael's lab.

Suddenly, she was in a cold metal hall with large glass chambers on each side. A bald boy was unconscious in each one, ages ranging from infant to adulthood. Some of the infants weren't quite infants yet. All had some degree of Starscrouge consuming their bodies.

Their noise was overwhelming now that Andromeda had found them. She fled down the hall, trying to disappear as she had done in Insomnia. Anywhere but here would be a better place.

A white light shone behind her, causing the scene to disappear. She turned to see Etro had appeared at last.

"There you are," She sighed in relief. "You must stay away from Bahamut and his Accursed."

"I didn't seek him out." Andromeda replied, cautiously looking around for any remainder of the nightmare. "Who's the Accursed?"

"He was once a savior to those with Starscourge, but became corrupted by it in time." Etro explained patiently. "He was condemned by Bahamut long ago, and now he leads the prophecy. The time of darkness is nearly here."

"Lunafreya will die."

"Yes, and the Chosen King will rid the world of darkness and the Scourge, restoring the light." The goddess bowed her head. "That is, if he doesn't fail. If he does, then the darkness and Scourge will not end."

Andromeda frowned. "What does all this have to do with me?"

"I once told you that your life is your own." Etro began, "It still is, but I am now calling upon you. Already your continued existence has altered the course of events. The Lucian king questions Bahamut. But you will need to be stronger to survive the events to come. The prophecy doesn't have to happen the way he wishes. His bloodlust can be put to an end."

"Why should I try to intervene in the prophecy? It has nothing to do with me."

"You don't have to, but know that it affects everything you know." Etro pointed out. "Don't try to deny that you care what happens. Only through action can your will be realized."

There was a pause as Andromeda thought it over. "Can't you just tell him to stop?"

"No. The Astrals do not recognize me. I was banished long before their war on Eos."

"Why?"

The goddess didn't answer right away. "Most humans are afraid of death, and their fear of the unknown caused them to shun me. Once Bahamut gave magic to the Houses of Lucis Caelum and Nox Fleuret, the kingdoms chose him as their patron deity. He has promised a certainty through the monarchs, but it has come at the price of their lives ever since."

"And you were banished?"

"I loved humans in a time when all gods were supposed to hate them. You must have learned by now that the Astrals have absolute views on humankind. Either they hate them or they love them. I suppose they wanted me out of the way." Etro pondered it herself. "I have since forgotten how gentle I must be with mortals. I only meant to protect you. You've been difficult to find ever since."

Andromeda remembered the moment in the forests of Tenebrae, right before she lost consciousness. "What happened?"

"You've been stuck in a dream state, bouncing between the connections you've made in life, and some other places as well while Bahamut was not trying to imprison you. It's time you return to your body."

"Where is it?"

The goddess frowned sadly. "It is in Niflheim. It is not a safe place."

"Can't you just move it somewhere else?" Andromeda pleaded. Ardyn would be there when she woke. He must have taken her back to Verstael's lab. There was no escaping that.

Etro shook her head. "I am not as powerful as I once was, and there are still rules to follow. You will have to escape on your own. Some humans terrify even the gods."

Looking down, Andromeda briefly considered asking to stay in the dream state. She felt safe here, still believing that nothing could hurt her in dreams. Escape from Niflheim seemed impossible.

"You will find a way out." Etro assured. "Your calling, when you do, is to find the woman who also bears my mark."

Before she could ask the question, Andromeda remembered the dying woman on the roadside. She had had a large gash in the side of her head that had bloodied Andromeda's hands.

"She lives," The goddess explained. She must have sent the dream to her. "Find her, and stay together as the prophecy unfolds. Now, it's time to wake up."


	14. Part 3:2

It was a struggle to wake up. The surroundings weren't familiar, but Andromeda knew exactly where she was. She had expected to wake up in a worse place than some kind of hospital room.

She had been gone from her body for a year or less—or more, depending on how long ago her encounter with the Lucian king had been. It didn't feel any different, albeit she hadn't felt so grounded in so long. Tubes and wires more or less kept her trapped in the bed, assuring those who watched over Andromeda that she wasn't dying in her coma. She wondered if they would be notified if she started to take them all off herself.

She raised a hand to poke at the IV injected in the back of her other hand, then stopped.

Her hand was completely black. The darkness ran up her forearm, splintering off halfway into veins that reached all the way up the rest of her arm. The shirt she now wore hid whatever there was on her shoulder.

Andromeda's personal crystal was gone; she didn't have to check her pants to know that they didn't have pockets. No one would let her keep it on hand. Was Verstael planning to see how long it would take for her to turn into a daemon?

As if on cue, one of his nondescript lab assistants entered the room. Andromeda had already pulled the stickers from her chest. Those hadn't hurt. The rest, having been underneath her skin, did as the lab assistant removed them.

Once she moved away to dispose of the needle and tubing, Andromeda tried to get out of bed herself. Everything she did felt weighted down. She had been gone from her body too long. She ended up flopping onto the floor.

The lab assistant was suddenly there to pull her back up to the bed. "You're not going anywhere just yet."

Andromeda was seated on the bed again. The lab assistant checked her eyes with a flashlight pen. She then helped her stand and take a few steps, avoiding the infected arm. It was all Andromeda could think about. She had never seen someone turn into a daemon, but there were countless horror stories about it. The worst part was the person didn't exactly die.

She was allowed to take a few shambling steps by herself, getting a grip on her own body again. The lab assistant didn't seem to think she would make progress so fast. Once Andromeda seemed steady, she was rushed out of the room and through the halls. She wasn't quite ready to walk so fast. It made her realize that escape was not possible yet.

Like her previous stay at the lab, Andromeda was lost in the many hallways. She was taken to an empty room and left alone. She didn't bother to check the door, knowing it was locked. There was no one-way window in one of the walls. It seemed as if no one was watching.

It wasn't a long wait before someone arrived. Verstael had been one of two people she expected, but the large chunk of quartz he carried was a surprise. Not only had Ardyn seen that she could heal the Starscourge, but he had seen how she could do it. He must have passed the information on to Verstael. For once, their plotting would help Andromeda.

All of his past formalities were gone now—even that smile she hated. He simply thrust the crystals into her hands. "Show me."

There was no sense in trying to deny what she could do, especially if doing so would kill her one way or another. She didn't hesitate to grasp the large crystal and focus on the festering darkness in herself. It was much easier to pull it out of someone else and send it into a waiting crystal. The Starscourge had settled in like sludge during her coma. Luckily it was already in her arm, or else it would have taken much longer to reach the crystal.

Andromeda's skin lightened as the crystal grew dark. She kept at it until she felt it was all out of her, and then continued for a little longer to make sure. The crystal had grown heavy from it, causing her to drop it when she was done. A shard broke off on the concrete floor.

It was more exhausting to perform on herself than it was on others. Perhaps she was feeling what the victims felt when they were healed. It was a lot of work for both of them.

"You failed to mention that when you were last here." Verstael didn't look happy. She had thought he would be; it was a good power to have in times like these. But then she recalled the corrupted humans hidden somewhere deep in his lab. He used daemons in some way.

"That was only the third time I've ever done it." Andromeda mumbled, her voice weak from disuse.

"And what of the goddess that granted you these powers? Who is she?"

She chose to not answer, no matter how demanding he was being. She could at least keep that from him. Verstael and Ardyn must have been the humans Etro feared. She had every reason to.

"You know I have ways of finding the truth, Andromeda." He sneered.

She hated to hear him say her true name. She had fought so long to keep it from him. He knew just about everything about her now: where she had come from, how the Empire had destroyed her home and how she had fled from them for years, taking on a new identity. All of her secrets were now out in the open.

Before Andromeda knew what she was doing, she rushed at him in a rage, and just as quickly felt a sharp shock in her neck. She was suddenly on the floor, gasping. She had lost.

Verstael continued to hold the taser as he put his hands behind his back. Her tongue had gone numb. She didn't try to get up right away.

"I'll give you some time to think on it." He turned and left. Two of his assistants came in immediately and placed handcuffs on her. The familiar bracelet was on her ankle again.

* * *

Andromeda was placed in a cell, officially a prisoner now. Her clothing was even that of an inmate, no longer matching the assistant outfit. It wasn't as warm.

She was made to wait a very long time in her cell. She didn't mind because it meant she could keep what little she had left to herself. Let them see if Verstael could truly dig anything up on Etro. It was so very long ago. The prophecy had nothing to do with her.

All he needed was the name. Andromeda wondered if it was worth it to keep such a small detail to herself. So what if Verstael did find information about her? He wouldn't be able to do anything about it; Etro was probably the most elusive Astral. For all that Andromeda had suffered because of Etro's "blessing", the goddess would not give her any help out of this mess. Instead, she was concerned with Bahamut's prophecy, which had nothing to do with her and Andromeda wanted no part of. Was it worth it to endure all of this for Etro?

Food was eventually brought to her. Even if it was the bland mush that was common at the lab, Andromeda didn't care. They hadn't sent enough. The one thing she couldn't enjoy in a dream state was the taste of food—even the bland stuff.

Though she wore the ankle bracelet that cut off her power, she tried silently calling for Etro again. She had to be more powerful than this little device. Andromeda wasn't going to get out of this place without some divine help. Even just a conversation with Etro would be enough, especially if Andromeda could convince her to lend a hand.

It didn't work, though. She soon found herself sleeping on the uncomfortable bed of the cell. Once again, she had no idea how much time was passing.

She didn't hear anyone enter, but Ardyn was suddenly there.

Andromeda shot up from the bed. The door was still locked, as if no one had come in at all. He was amused by her reaction, but made no move to attack her again.

"You were asleep for quite awhile." He smirked. "All better now, I see. Verstael was surprised to find out you had a second power. You should be grateful he let you use it. Daemons are our business, after all."

"What do you want?" She grumbled. If she had been allowed to heal herself of Starscourge, then Verstael obviously did not want her to become a daemon.

Ardyn wasn't deterred. "You should really learn to be grateful. We could have done this the easy way. Why, you could have been in Gralea right now, rubbing elbows with the elite. Your work could have made you a hero. It might have been enough to earn Ravus's forgiveness."

"Your lies were weak." Andromeda spat. "I'd rather be here."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." He grinned. "Verstael will not be forgiving this time. And I will not take pity on you."

She scowled. Perhaps that meant that Ardyn would no longer be around. It was a small piece of good news in such a miserable prison. His words also made her wonder what Verstael had planned this time. He knew almost everything about Andromeda; now he would focus on the goddess that protected her.

It was as if Ardyn knew what was on her mind. "That goddess of yours isn't very powerful, is she? She abandoned you after putting you to sleep. She didn't try to whisk you away from such a terrible fate. It makes one wonder if it's worth it to remain loyal to her."

Etro had already explained her reason, although Andromeda didn't agree with it. She wanted to meddle in Bahamut's grand scheme to cleanse the world, but at moments where she could really disturb things, Etro disappeared instead. Ardyn had a point. But what did he really know?

"People follow the Six and are treated just the same." Andromeda pointed out. Maybe all gods were the same.

He considered her with a slight narrowing of his eyes. "What's her name?"

She ignored him just as she had with Verstael. It was too difficult to lie at this point; it was all confused by now, and she had slept through at least the winter. She had no idea what they had found out in that time.

Ardyn soon became bored of waiting for a reply. "What a shame. All that work to turn you into a proper lady, and a couple of days in Tenebrae's forests has put a wildness in your eyes. Well, we'll find out, with or without your help. When we do, will you be any use to us?"

He was suddenly gone, just as he appeared. Andromeda dashed to the door, listening for footsteps in the hall. There were none.

* * *

She waited a long time for something to happen again in isolation. The door was solid, with two slats: one at eye-level, and the other at the chest level. The lower one sometimes opened with food. It was the only interaction she had with the outside.

With nothing else to do, Andromeda often listened near the door for passing footsteps, but they didn't occur often. It was like she was abandoned while Verstael attempted to learn the goddess's name on his own. She was lucky they remembered to feed her.

At one point, she was allowed to shower, but a lab assistant kept an eye on her the whole time. At least it was another woman, and she didn't scream at the deformed skin. She had probably seen worse.

Andromeda was returned to her cell afterwards for only a short amount of time before being taken out again. Now when she was escorted through the halls, she was even handcuffed like a real prisoner.

To no surprise, she was taken to the large, spacious storage bay—having been put back in order while she was gone—where Verstael was waiting. The ankle bracelet was removed, but the handcuffs stayed on.

"Summon your god." Just as before, he was straight to the point, skipping formalities.

"It doesn't work like that." She admitted. There was no way she could fake summoning a god. Most of the time, Etro didn't answer her calls. With her past record, it could be years before Andromeda saw her again. "Don't you think I would have already done that by now?"

Verstael scowled at her remark. "Then perhaps she requires an incentive."

As he took a step towards her, Andromeda summoned her power instead, the area darkening as a howling wind picked up. She made a run for the door as various things flew through the air. The few lab assistants also scattered. One was crushed by scaffolding as it fell.

The door was locked, and she had no way of opening it. Inhuman screams were approaching. Something smashed into the door from the other side. She fled to find another exit.

Undeterred by the chaos spreading through his lab, Verstael was right behind Andromeda. He snatched her arm with surprising strength and speed for his age. He just as quickly jammed something sharp into it. Andromeda gave a shout at the sudden pain and heaviness in her bicep. Many lights above had already given out, but she could still see her skin darkening with Starscourge again.

Verstael jerked the gun out of her skin as he was struck from behind by a drum. She dashed away, cradling her newly-infected arm. The banging on the door steadily became worse; the Magitek troopers were almost through.

The other doors also had troopers clawing them on the other side. There was no safe place to hide and wait it out. Andromeda continued to look, dodging flying objects all the while. She hadn't seen what had happened to Verstael.

The doors burst open with deafening daemon screams. She hoped they would go after him and his lackeys before finding her. She weaved through the teetering scaffolding shelves, sprinting as gunshots joined the noise.

Andromeda collided with a lab assistant and fell to the floor. He recovered faster than she did, and clamped the ankle bracelet back into its place. Everything stopped.

For a moment, everyone froze in the sudden silence. Then there was the sudden racket of objects falling from the air and shelves, the wind having abandoned them. The Magitek troopers—those that hadn't been shot down—stood at the ready, waiting for a command.

The lab assistant pulled Andromeda up to her feet, grasping her clean arm. He pushed her out into the open, to Verstael.

He did his best to look unbothered by what had occurred. "Your attempt failed."

She didn't answer. It hadn't been smart of her at all. To make it even worse, she had the Starscourge again. They both looked at her arm.

At the moment of injection, it had only covered her bicep. Since then, dark veins had spread down towards her hand. The upper arm was completely covered. It reached up over her shoulder.

"Interesting." Verstael mused. "The spread of Scourge is accelerated by your power."

While he took delight in that, Andromeda was even more horrified. If she wasn't allowed to heal herself of this, her own power would kill her. The ankle bracelet was the only thing keeping that from happening.

"Remove it." He ordered of his assistant. The younger man started to question him, but then did as instructed. She hoped that this meant she would be allowed to heal herself quickly. She had to have enough value to not be turned into a daemon.

"Try to use your power again, and it may be the last thing you do." Verstael finally smiled at her. "Let's hope your goddess appears before it's too late."

Another lab assistant entered, carefully stepping over the mess strewn about everywhere. She tried being quiet, but understandably did not want to get too close to her boss. "Sir, a spy was apprehended during the... episode."

That interested him more. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the first assistant away with Andromeda. They were escorted back to her cell by two troopers. Once there, she was uncuffed and left alone again.

* * *

She was made to wait as before, but this time there was no food sent to her. She had no way of tracking time except by her appetite. She knew that there should have been at least a couple of meals by now.

When Andromeda wasn't watching the door or sleeping, she sat staring at her arm. The Starscourge didn't look as though it was getting any worse since her power had been stopped. But it was there, a constant, weighty reminder. It might not be spreading fast enough for her to notice, but it still was regardless. Until Verstael got what he wanted and Etro came to her aid, she was powerless.

She was constantly tired; there wasn't anything to do but to fade in and out of consciousness. Without the ankle bracelet, her dreams were always the same: the screams of the corrupted boys clung to her, as if she could do something for them. Having never experienced life outside of their glass chambers, they knew nothing. It was clear from the lack of visuals and anything more than infantile cries.

Andromeda fought to get away each time. At first, it didn't seem to be working. Sometimes they clung so much that she was unable to wake herself. After several tries, though, she tore her mind away from them.

There was a spy kept somewhere in the lab. She hoped he was still alive and within reach. A spy meant an enemy of Niflheim, and a possible ally for Andromeda. If anything, it would be the only person left to talk to.

She had no idea where to look. She went in a few directions before finding a man fighting against sleep. He was bound to a wall; getting him out would be a little tricky. With him, there might be a chance that they could both get out of here.

Andromeda had never willingly taken on a dream state before, but she could focus enough to appear in ethereal form in front of him. She had had a lot of practice with it recently.

The man jerked awake, squinting at her with dark eyes. "What the hell is this?"

"Do you know how to get out of here?" She asked, ignoring the surprise. Talking didn't make it any easier on her. Sleep was hard to resist.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He scoffed with a shake of his head. No matter what Andromeda was, he wasn't ready to trust her. It must have been a spy thing.

"I can cause a scene, but I don't know my way around. I'll come find you." She didn't know how she would get out of her own cell first, though. Maybe she could trick someone the next time she was allowed to shower. "Be ready when I come for you."

She completely lost focus at that, leaving him and slipping into dreamless sleep.

* * *

A tray of food was there when Andromeda woke, but the person who had left it was long gone. She cleaned it off quickly, wishing they had sent more. The small portion had given her a little more energy, though. She tucked the fork under her pillow. They obviously didn't trust her with a knife.

She left the tray by its proper slot at the door. No one had ever come in to retrieve it before. Andromeda had adapted quickly to this prison lifestyle. Had it been anywhere else, she probably wouldn't have minded it. Anywhere else wouldn't have rushed to put her in solitary confinement.

Whoever came and took the tray didn't stop at all to notice the missing fork. Andromeda continued to wait. She never thought she would want someone to come by and antagonize her. It would at least kill time. But Verstael must have been determined to wait for the goddess to come on her own.

The door eventually unlocked from the other side, the noise jerking Andromeda from dozing off. A lab assistant entered and closed the door behind himself, locking it. She stood from the bed. She didn't know that the door could lock from the inside. Something was off.

"You can heal Starscrouge as the Oracle does, right?" He asked cautiously.

Andromeda didn't answer. It was a stupid question to ask at this point. Everyone here must have already known that. It was one of the more disappointing discoveries about her. Her dark power was celebrated, but the one power that did good was punished. This was a backwards country.

"I have a slight problem." The lab assistant went on. He moved stiffly and took a seat on the bed. He pulled up one of his pant legs. His shin was blackened, possibly his foot too.

She shot a scowl at him as she knelt for a closer look. After everything they had done to Andromeda, one of them had the gall to ask for her help. He probably expected her to take the scourge into herself, making her condition all the worse.

"You know how it works, don't you?" She scolded. There was no way he could force her to agree to help.

"I do." The man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a chunk of quartz. It was only the size of his fist. "The camera's frozen right now. I set up a recording of you just sleeping. We have an hour, unless someone figures it out."

Andromeda stood. "That is not enough for both of us."

"Chief Besithia does not want you to heal yourself." He admitted, then quickly added some more, "But I can talk to him. I could try to convince him to let you heal some of it. And get you your old arrangements back. No god is going to show up."

She looked between his infected shin, the crystal, and her arm. He was right: Etro had said she would not come. She didn't have to; Andromeda had an idea.

Taking the crystal in her scourged hand, she took his hand with her clean one. She focused on pulling the Starscourge from him, through herself, and into the crystal. It moved surprisingly smooth. For a small crystal, it could hold a lot. Andromeda was soon finished with him, and managed to skim some of the scourge from herself as well before the crystal would not take more.

She let go of his hand, continuing to look at the black crystal. It was much more dense and heavy now—heavier than it should have been. The man admired his now-clear skin.

"Thank you." He smiled. "I promise I'll-"

Andromeda smashed the crystal into his skull, catching the lab assistant by surprise. He fell over. She dashed it into his head twice more to make sure he would stay down, hearing a crack. She then dropped the crystal and searched his pockets until she found the keycard.

She locked the door behind herself as she left the cell. As the lab assistant had said, there was less than an hour left before someone would notice that she was not in there.

The spy had been on the same floor as Andromeda. She tried to follow the path she had taken in her sleep. The hall was empty, but she moved slowly and quietly, listening for the sounds of other people nearby.

There weren't people, but there were Magitek troopers patrolling the halls. She waited for the right time to follow one at a distance, hands together in front of her as if cuffed, as if it were escorting her. Miraculously, the other troopers, if they saw her, did not react. The silly plan actually worked.

Andromeda followed a couple of them until she was certain she had come to the right door. The keycard worked. The door slid open and she hurried inside, closing it behind herself.

Just as she had twenty minutes before when her cell had been entered, the spy jerked awake where he hung. Andromeda hurried to undo the bindings.

"What's a kid like you doing here?" He looked her over. "Your arm!"

"Yes, I know." She finished undoing the straps on his ankles. The man stumbled to the floor. "I told you to be ready. We don't have any time. They probably already know I'm here."

"'We'?" He repeated, standing unsteadily and slicking his dark hair back. "You're not going to last much longer."

"Even less if you leave me behind. And you won't get out without my help." Andromeda hurried to the door and unlocked it.

He followed her out with a curse. "Fine. Stairs are this way."

She followed him, hiding in narrow gaps in the walls where thick emergency doors were hidden as troopers passed by. She was thankful that each one did not shut on them. However, it did force them to be too close to one another, and who knew when either of them had last showered.

They found the stairs just as an alarm sounded. A clattering followed as the troopers on the floor ran in search of them.

Andromeda shut the door of the stairwell and locked it with the keycard, but it wasn't likely that it would hold them back for long. She and the spy began running up the stairs. Shadows had already appeared before they ran into troopers, knocking the first wave down several floors below. He stopped to look at her. The chaos couldn't have come from anywhere else.

"Keep going!" Andromeda took the lead. The wind howled even louder in such a narrow space, but it did not slow their climb.

As usual, the troopers became more erratic from her power as they came after the two. The spy had picked up one of their guns and took out a few. Most were simply pushed aside by the the wind and shadows, their broken pieces flying around as debris. While he and Andromeda had to watch their heads, some of the debris destroyed more troopers as well.

They soon came to the right floor. The door had been locked, but the keycard worked on this floor as well. They came out into the storage bay she had previously destroyed twice already. Luckily, with no other humans there, there were no berserk troopers waiting for them. Plenty were following them, though.

"The door!" The spy gestured to the left, where the bay door was. Andromeda knew better than to expect a keycard to work on it. "Do something about it!"

They ran at it with the troopers behind them. He took aim at some barrels instead. They exploded from the impact of one small bullet. It took care of most of the troopers, but more were coming.

She tried to get her power under her reign, at least enough to do something about the door. The shadows beat at it, often with lightweight objects. Andromeda spotted a forklift. It was ridiculous to think she could move that.

Enough things had been thrown from the scaffolding shelves that they were much easier for the shadows to lift and lug at the door. The third one finally broke it down.

They climbed over the wreckage and out into the sunshine—something she hadn't seen in a long time. The troopers had far less trouble getting over it. The sun didn't bother them at all.

Spotting vehicles to the side, the spy nudged Andromeda, blinded by the light reflecting off of the snow, in that direction. The power felt weaker; it was nearly spent.

He took them over to a snowmobile, hopping into the seat. He thrust the gun into her arms. "Here. Keep them off of us."

Still adjusting, she wasn't very good at aiming. The trigger was about the only thing she knew about the gun. It was too strange and powerful compared to what she was used to. She relied on what little power was left, but throwing snow around wasn't very effective against metal soldiers. They quickly approached.

The snowmobile roared to life as one nearly grabbed Andromeda. The spy ripped the gun from her hands and swung it at the trooper, knocking it aside. He then tossed the gun into the snow. She took the spot behind him and held on tight as they sped towards the closing gate.

"The gate! Do something about the gate!" He yelled back to her. With whatever strength was left, the shadows gave a final push, bending each side, causing them to not fit behind the concrete walls. It was enough to stop them. It also spent the last of the storm. Andromeda clung to him against the freezing cold.

They were still pursued, but it was easier to evade the Magitek soldiers in an open space. Their legs could only run so fast. Soon the snowmobile had left them far behind.

There wasn't much time before an aircraft flew overhead. The spy began to take erratic turns in an attempt to lose it. Andromeda just trusted that he knew what he was doing.

It kept after them longer than the soldiers. The snowmobile began to lose speed. He drove it into a wooded area, weaving through trees and nearly crashing into several. Still the aircraft followed despite the lack of visibility.

The snowmobile gave a sputter, and the spy aimed for a tree. "Jump!"

Andromeda moreso fell off, letting go of him. It smashed into the tree, splitting into two. The tree remained unscathed.

He rolled and then stood up, breaking into a run. She was much slower. The aircraft hovered overhead. They wouldn't be able to get away from it by running on foot, but they had to at least try.

Then there was a much louder crash that shook the ground and caused Andromeda to fall again. She looked back to see the aircraft on the ground outside of the trees, bent and smoking. A giant woman, a blinding white thanks to the sunlight and surrounding snow, stood before it. She turned to Andromeda and smiled.

"Go." Etro urged the two humans. The spy stared up at her, gaping. Andromeda took the lead before the goddess thought about touching her again.

She was actually quite grateful that she had appeared to help. It meant that the escape was working; Etro no longer had to fear capture by Verstael (however he could manage to do that). It gave Andromeda a small boost to keep going.

The humans continued running, knowing that reinforcements would show up at that spot. From there, they could follow the tracks in the snow. When night came, there would be daemons to worry about as well.

Reaching a lake, the spy stopped running. Andromeda caught up, feeling weak all over. The sweat was quickly cooling on her skin.

"Why are we stopping here?" She asked as she gasped for air. Maybe he had been right; she wasn't going to survive this.

"My airship is nearby." He began walking along the shore. He looked too old for all of the running they had just done. "Or it was, two days ago."

"You came here in a ship, and then walked all the way to the base?"

"Yeah. There's less to cover up that way. Having another person along would have mucked things up faster." He explained pointedly, expecting Andromeda to take the hint. He was far less winded than she was, despite the torture he had probably gone through in Verstael's lab. "Mind telling me what all of that was back there?"

Shaking her head, she trudged along shakily. She looked at her arm. The scourge had spread past her elbow, veins reaching her wrist. It hadn't gotten lethal yet.

"Shit." The spy noticed how it had spread, too.

"I can fix this. I just need quartz. A lot of it." Andromeda insisted. She knew what was on his mind. He wanted to leave her for dead.

"You can heal Starscourge?" His gave a laugh, his tone dubious. "What are you, the long-lost step-sister of the Oracle?"

She scowled. An enemy of Niflheim he may be, but that didn't make him trustworthy. Then again, perhaps the Lucians would be more friendly towards her. If anything, this man had seen all that she could do. Whoever he served, he was better than her captors.

"The goddess back there was Etro. She was exiled long ago, but she's coming back into power." Andromeda explained, having caught her breath. "I died when Tenebrae fell, but she sent me back to life with her Blessing. It's all that you saw back there, and the purging of Starscourge."

The spy considered her for a long minute. She crossed her arms over her chest. The cold began to get to her again. He had better be right that his airship was nearby, untouched.

"We heard some reports from Galahd of some nasty storms that would destroy rebel camps without a cloud in the sky." He admitted. "Before that, there was a rumor in Gralea of a new double agent trading Lucian secrets for amnesty. And before all that, Verstael was working on a new sort of weapon. Guess it was all about one person."

"The Lucian thing was a cover up. I'm Tenebraen." Andromeda pointed out. "The Chancellor thought it would help me fit in. You gonna turn me in to your king anyway?"

"I have no king." The spy grinned. "I don't serve any nation—especially not Niflheim. And you're in no state to enter Insomnia."

She grunted at that, then noticed something off to her right. Hidden behind some brush was an Imperial plane. It was small, fitting only a few people. The sides had blotches where the national insignia had been erased.

He squinted at it and remained relaxed. "Told you it was somewhere close."

Once they were closer, a door opened upwards on the side at his touch. Andromeda followed the man, boarding the stolen Imperial plane. As soon as she sat in one of the uncomfortable seats, she fell asleep.


End file.
